BRITISH MEN'S MID-AM CHSHIP

NORTH-EAST MEN KNOCKED OUT AT
SOUTHPORT & AINSDALE


FROM THE R&A WEBSITE: www.randa.org
Daniel Perrett’s bid to become the first man to win a hat-trick of British mid-mmateur titles fell at the first match-play hurdle when he missed an eight-foot putt on the last to keep the game alive and lost by one hole to Mark Rabone, a one handicap member at the host club, Southport & Ainsdale.
In a tight struggle Perrett, who had never been beaten in this championship having won on his only two appearances at Muirfield last year and Royal Liverpool in 2004, found himself two down after five.
Rabone won the long second with a birdie and Perrett conceded the fifth when he found the right hand rough and hit a tree with his third shot.
Perrett won the sixth with a 10-foot birdie putt and the seventh with an eagle to Rabone’s birdie, the Somerset man sinking a 40ft putt to square the match.
Perrett took the lead for the first time with another long putt at the 13th only for Rabone to get out of jail at the 14th when he got up and down out of deep rough at the side of the green, sinking from 10 feet for his par, while Perrett took three from the front of the green to lose the hole.
The S&A man fell behind again to a birdie at the 15th but immediately got it back with a birdie at the long 16th. He then went ahead when Perrett took four to get out of a bunker at the 17th and triumphed when Perrett missed his birdie chance at the last.
Leading qualifier George Cowan moved smoothly into the second round with a 3 & 2 win over Brian Moore from Largs. The 26-year-old Northumberland county player from Bellingham, who led the qualifiers on 135 after a record-equalling second round of 65, halved all the holes with his Scottish opponent on the front nine, but took the lead at the short tenth when his chip and putt for par was good enough.
He went two up at the 11th when he put is five-iron second to eight feet and sank the putt and increased his lead at the short 13th when a par was again good enough, Moore failing to get up and down from off the green.
Moore won a hole back with a birdie at the next but immediately lost it again when he drove into a gorse bush at the 15th and had to take a drop.
Euan Moir from Hamilton, who took the lead on the first day of qualifying with a course record 65, beat Laurie Phillips from Cruden Bay 4 and 3.
Bryan Innes from Murcar Links, a semi-finalist last year, beat Martin Young from Brokenhurst Manor 3 & 2 but then lost to Craig Elliot (Ratho Park) by one hole in the second round.
Three times former winner John Kemp from John O’Gaunt beat Giovanni Airaga from Italy 5 & 4, but last year’s beaten finalist, Steve Sansome from Cosby, lost to Stephen Machin from Cowglen by the same score.
Other results involving Scots:
FIRST ROUND
Brian Harris (US) bt Ross Cooper (Cruden Bay) 1 hole.
Simon Young (Workington) bt Barry Scott (Dumfries & Galloway) at 20th.
John Laurie (Cowglen) bt Jean Pierre Leveille (France) at 19th.
Sandy Twynholm (Morpeth) bt Andrew King (Garforth) 5 and 3.
Kevin Kean (Ashton on Mersey) bt Paul Moultrie (Troon Portland) 3 and 1.
SECOND ROUND
Twynholm beat Euan Moir (Hamailton) 5 and 4.
Paul Griffiths (Sandwell Park) beat Laurie 2 holes.