THREE WELSHMEN IN TOP FIVE AT
HALFWAY STAGE OF LINKS TROPHY

Dragon's Teeth! Three Welshmen in the top five at the halfway stage of the St Andrews Links Trophy.
Llewellyn Matthews from Southerndown took over the pole position from another Welshman, Nigel Edwards with a fine round of five-under-par 67 over the Old Course. Coupled with a 68 over the Jubilee Course on Firday, that put Llewellyn two shots clear of the field on nine-under-par 135 with two rounds to play on Sunday.
Jason Barnes (Chart Hills) is lying in second place with a 66 over the Jubilee and a 71 over the Old Course for 177.
Then comes Nigel Edwards (73), yet another Welshman, youngster Zack Gould (Vale of Glamorgan), 68, and Englishman Jonathan Hurst (Shaw Hill), 70, all sharing third place on 138.
Kevin McAlpine (Alyth), winner of the Bidwells Scottish open amateur stroke-play championship at Royal Dornoch last week, reduced the Old Course outward half to 29 shots - something he did before in the Amateur championship of 2004. But the inward half cost him 39 shots. Still, a 68 over the Old Course is not to be sniffed at and Kevin, on 142, has a platform for a Sunday surge as he did at Dornoch.
Banchory teenager James Byrne was one of the later startes. He dropped back a wee bit with a 74 for 140 but still has a chance of at least finishing second as he did in the Scottish stroke-play.
The cut fell at level par 144, which meant some highly-rated players will not be playing on Sunday - Scott Henry (Cardross) (145), Bryan Fotheringham (Forres) (148), Duncan Stewart (Grantown on Spey) (149), Seve Benson (Wentworth) (149), Glenn Campbell (Blairgowrie) (150) and last year's Scottish youths champion from Spain, Francisco Pintor (150).

ALL THE SATURDAY SCORES

Par 144 (72 Jubilee, 72 Old Course).

135 L Matthews (Southerndown) 68 67.
137 J Barnes (Chart Hills) 66 71.
138 J Hurst (Shaw Hill) 68 70, N Edwards (Whitchurch) 65 73, Z Gould (Vale of Glamorgan) 70 68.
139 B Evans (Rye) 69 70, S Arnold (Aus) 67 72, D Horsey (Styal) 68 71.
140 J Moul (Stoke by Nayland) 67 73, A Kaleka (Fra) 71 69, M Allen (North Hantgs) 69 71, J Byrne (Banchory) 66 74.
141 R Kellett (Colville Park) 66 75, S McEwan (Caprington) 70 71.
142 S Larkin (Banchory) 72 70, T Sherreard (Chart Hills) 72 70, K McAlpine (Alyth) 74 68, G Paterson (St Andrews New) 70 72, J Parry (Harrogate) 69 73, C Wood (Long Ashton) 72 70, R McIlroy (Holywood) 73 69, K McNicoll (Carnoustei) 69 73, P Nelson (SAf) 69 73, C Ford (Kirby Muxloe) 72 70.
143 M Baldwin (Royal Birkdale) 72 71, L Saltman (Craigielaw) 73 70, G Dear (Murrayshall) 73 70, E Richardson (Rye) 73 70, R Blizard (Aus) 75 68, A Dodt (Aus) 71 72, M Griffin (Aus) 72 71.
144 O Sharpe (Minchinhampton) 72 72, S Ward (Co Louth) 72 72, W Booth (Comrie) 74 70, A Johnston (North Middlesex) 72 72, G Boyd (Cherwell Edge) 69 75, S Clark (US) 68 76, P O'Hara (Colville Park) 73 71, N Chaudhuri (Leicestershire) 72 72, C Macaulay (Tullkiallan) 70 74, J King (Glasgow) 73 71.
MISSED THE CUT
145 L Collins (Mendip Spring) 72 73, R Thomas (Aberdare) 71 74, S Henry (Cardross) 68 77, J Taverner (Enfield) 72 73, L Campbell (Rochester & Cobham Park) 73 72, M Kerr (Craigielaw) 74 71, S Mann (Carnoustie) 71 74, J Arnold (Aus) 70 75, P Waring (Bromborough) 72 73, M Veijalainen (Fin) 71 74, D Marmion (Delamere Forest) 72 73.
146 C Watson (East Renfrewshire) 73 73, J Howarth (Stockport) 73 73, R Kulacz (Aus) 72 74, B Parker (Gut Waldhof) 71 75, G O'Neill (Royal Jersey) 71 75, B Soutar (Leven GS) 71 75, M Thistleton (Hayling) 71 75, I Kenwright (Haydock Park) 68 78.
147 N Henrigues (Por) 73 74, R Neil-Jones (Rochester & Cobham Park) 70 77, J Freeman (Worksop) 70 77, V Dubuisson (Fra) 69 78, P McLean (Peterhead) 74 73, Z Saltman (Craigielaw) 76 71, R Gibson (US) 69 78, M Lamb (Haddington) 75 72, G Benson (Leighton Buzzard) 71 76, S Hutsby (Liphook) 73 74, C Orr (Lanark) 74 73, M Halliday (Royal Aberdeen) 73 74.
148 C Harkins (Belleisle) 74 74, C Schwierz (Ger) 75 73, T Ropiha (NZ) 72 76, B Fotheringham (Forres) 74 74, J Younger (Aus) 74 73, A Runcie (Abergele) 75 73, B Taylor (Hexham) 72 76, J-C Neil (SAf) 75 73, M Clark (Kilmacolm) 72 76, R Enoch (Truro) 72 76, J Koelbing (Ger) 72 76, B Sigl (Ger) 74 74, D Corsby (Fleetwood) 74 74.
149 L Kirton (Newmachar) 73 76, G Blainey (Bearwood Lakes) 72 77, D Stewart (Grantown-on-Spey) 72 77, J Abbott (Fynn Valley) 71 78, S Benson (Wentworth) 72 77, X Feyaerts (Bel) 72 77, S Borrowman (Dollar) 73 76.
150 F Pintor (Spa) 74 76, G Campbell (Blairgowrie) 75 75, A Rosado (Por) 74 76, M Gayes (Westwood) 75 75, J Gidney (Chruch Stretton) 69 81, L Calitz (SAf) 76 74, R McKnight (Barassie) 72 78, M Greil (US) 74 76, G Watremez (Bel) 76 74.
151 E McIntosh (Newmachar) 74 77, G Taylor (Meldrum House) 77 74, C Geraghty (St Annes Old Links) 72 79, M Larusson (Ice) 79 72, T Stewart (Aus) 77 74.
152 S McAllister (Craigielaw) 78 74, C Durnian (SAf) 79 73, B St John (US) 74 78, J Smith (Sundridge Park) 72 80, C Colraine (Windyhill) 77 75, H Joannes (Bel) 75 77, J Pernaa (Fin) 73 79, M Hillson (Craigielaw) 77 75, R Coull (Edzell) 75 77.
153 L Miller (Cawder) 78 75, B McGrory (Aus) 75 78, L de Jager (SAf) 73 80, S Lewton (Woburn) 76 77, M Greig (Bon Accord) 75 78, J-C Berlin (Fra) 77 76, T Dogil (Ger) 80 73, J Carlota (Por) 76 77.
154 J Palmer (Kirby Muxloe) 73 81, P Figueiredo (Por) 78 76, S Johnsson (Ice) 77 77, B Jones (Cuddington) 76 78, W Shucksmith (Alwoodley) 78 76, J Field jun (US) 74 80.
155 A Lynch (Glenbervie) 79 76, J Woods (St Andrews) 80 75, J Repokis US) 77 78.
156 G Mitchell (Braemar) 77 79 T Coombes (US) 79 77, S Graham (Blairgowrie) 83 73.
157 H Hjartarson (Ice) 81 76, P McGhee (US) 80 77.
158 B Edmond(Bon Accord) 79 79.
159 C Doherty (Bury) 79 80, S Runcie (Abergele) 79 80, C Rice (Southport & Ainsdale) 79 80.
162 J Vickery (Newport) 80 82.
164 A Ait Lafkihy (Ivory Coast) 84 80.
157 P McGhee (US) 80 77.
159 C Doherty (Bury) 79 80.