Making history doesn’t come easily. Just ask Hannah Darling. At just 13 years of age, the Broomieknowe teenager became the youngest player ever to win the Scottish Girls’ Championship yesterday when she staved off a bold comeback from 17-year-old Jillian Farrell of Cardross to win by two holes at Scotscraig.

While Greg Dalziel won the Boys’ title in an equally engrossing joust with Josh Greer, it was Darling’s exploits which captured much of the imagination as she eclipsed the feat of Jane Connachan, who was just 14 when she won the national event back in 1978.

In a topsy-turvy encounter, three-handicapper Darling had been four-up after 12 holes of the morning round but was pegged back to just one at the end of the first session.

A succession of bogeys at the start of the second 18 from Farrell saw Darling five holes to the good through 27 but the ding-dong nature of the matchplay format was there for all to see as the battling Farrell won five of the next six holes to draw level.

Darling then birdied the 33rd and chipped in for an eagle on the 34th to move two ahead again but Farrell refused to surrender and a birdie of her own on the penultimate hole set up a nail-nibbling conclusion.

Darling showed quality and composure beyond her years, though, and thwarted her more experienced opponent with a birdie on the 36th to clinch a memorable and hard-earned triumph.

“It’s a bit surreal,” she gasped after a fraught finale. “You have to believe you can do it, but I’m obviously one of the youngest here so it was just about trying to do my best. I only got a handicap three years ago, but I’ve been hitting plastic clubs since I was like four.”

In the Boys’ final, meanwhile, Dalziel made sure the cherished old trophy went to Airdrie instead of Australia as he edged out Gourock-born Josh Greer, who is now based Down Under.

Greer, 16, had been three-up through 21 holes but Dalziel, a prolific winner on the Lanarkshire junior scene, dug deep and squared affairs before edging ahead for the first time in the entire match at the 29th. Dalziel then stood firm as the sparring duo halved the last seven holes in a tussle that went to wire.

“I certainly didn’t picture this coming into the week, but I held on and came through," said the two-handicapper.

“I’ve won the Scottish Boys' Area Team Championship with Lanarkshire the past two years so I drew on that experience. But this my best experience in the game to date."