Kellett first alternative for start of match-play

IT'S STILL RAINING IN AUSTRALIA
.... WHICH MEANS TOUGH LUCK
FOR ROSS AND SHAUN IN NSW

Bad luck for Scots Ross Kellett (Colville Park) and Shaun McAllister (Craigielaw) in the New South Wales Amateur golf championship.
They had been sharing 31st place - with a number of Australians - after two rounds of stroke-play. They should have had one more round to confirm a place among the maximum of 32 players who go forward to the New South Wales match-play championship.
But New South Wales has not escaped the rain that is soaking all of Australia - even hitting the Ladies European Tour event up in Queensland.
After even more rain, the NSW organisers had to forget about a third round and decide the 32 match-play qualifiers on the 36-hole totals, better second round, etc..
Ross and Shaun missed out by the narrowest or margins. The only consolation for Kellett is that he is first alternative which means that if anybody, for any reason, fails to make it to the first tee for the start of the match-play then the Scot takes their place ... but it promises to be a long, long day for Ross!
Australian amateur champion Rohan Blizard claimed the New South Wales Medal as the leading qualifier with a 14-under-par total of 128 while defending champion Gary Wolstenholme, the English Walker Cup veteran, progressed comfortably on 137.
Englishmen Matthew Baldwin and Matthew Cryer both qualified in joint 13th place on 136. Welshman Zac Gould makde it on 137 alongside Wolstenholme.
Baldwin and Gould meet in the first round of the match-play.

LATER NEWS FROM SHAUN McALLISTER'S DAD, NEIL:

You might be interested to know that the ending to the stroke-play part of NSW Amateur was not decided as you would think!!
Shaun and Ross were two of a group of 12 tied for 31st and had been told no play would take place for the day. They were then told at very short notice that all 12 would play off for the two remaining spaces in the match play draw.
With no warm-up they were taken to a par-3 in two groups of 6!!
The poor guys who were placed further back but in the top 60 and ties were basically told they were no longer part of the tournament
The weather down there has been unusually bad which makes those of us here in sunny Scotland feel a little better!

THANKS, NEIL ... JUST SHOWS YOU THAT TOURNAMENT WEBSITES DON'T ALWAYS PROVIDE THE WHOLE STORY.
Colin Farquharson