1.   The morning was taken up with the Townhead Cup, a stroke play competition resulting in a close fought battle between Eddie Docherty and Andrew Beattie.

2.   The lawyer had always maintained that the money he received was a legitimate success fee for the vital role he played in the bitterly fought takeover battle.

3.   But that is a misnomer, since the measure is likely to pit irreconcilable political forces in the most bitterly fought political battle in years, if not decades.

4.   Choosing Lieberman, whose state has a Republican governor, would cost the Democrats one seat in a closely fought battle for control of the Senate.

5.   Instead, they became critical and hard fought battles in a major war for the Republican nomination.

6.   The computer messages have been the subject of the most fiercely fought battles in the case, as the two sides argued which notes the jury should see.

7.   The contest to replace Bevill in a predominantly rural and poor district seemed to exemplify the kind of closely fought battle that would determine the shape of the Congress.

8.   President Clinton expressed optimism today about winning a House vote to grant China permanent trade benefits in perhaps the hardest fought congressional battle of the year.