Alan Ferguson lying
fifth as Irish eyes are
smiling at Vilamoura

Drumpellier's Alan Ferguson is lying joint fifth after two rounds of a European senior men's amateur championship being dominated by the Irish at Vilamoura's Old Course on Portugal's Algarve.

Alan has scored 74 and 75 for 149, to be seven shots adrift of the joint leaders, both from the Emerald Isle, Arthur Pierse, winner of the British senior amateur crown at Nairn last year, and Adrian Morrow.

Pierse (pictured above) has scored a pair of 71s to Morrow's 69 and 73.

A third Irishman, Maurice Kelly, is two shots behind his compatriots in third place on 144 with rounds of 74 and 70.

In the European senior women's championship, being played over the Vilamoura Pinhal course, Heather Anderson from Downfield, Dundee had a disastrous second-round 88, eight shots worse than her opening effort, for a two-round tally of 168 and a share of 26th place after being in the top 10 at the start of the day.

Heather, usually the steadies of players, had one triple bogey and three double bogeys in halves of 44.

Janice Paterson took over the mantle of leading Scot in 17th place with a second-round 81 (43-38 which included a double bogey 7 at the long third but a birdie at the 16th.

France's Virginie Burrus leads at five-over 149 with scores of 75 and 74.

LEADERBOARD

MEN (Vilamoura Old)

142 A Pierse (Ire) 71 71, A Morrow (Ire) 69 73.

144 M Kelly (Ire) 74 70.

146 R Morris (US) 75 71.

149 A Ferguson (Sco) 74 785, J Sousa e Melo (Por) 74 75.

150 I Dueholm (Den) 73 77.

151 D Lane (Eng) 73 78, L MacNamara (Ire) 76 75, G Thenfors (Swe) 75 76.

Other Scots scores:

158 D McCart 81 77 (jt 45th).

161 S Ellis 82 79, J Deas 82 79 (jt 65th).

165 J Broadfoot 83 82 9jt 92nd).

183 B Campbell 87 96 (jt 142nd).

WOMEN (Vilamoura Pinhal)

149 V Burrus (Fra) 75 74.

156 V Pertierra (Spa) 79 77.

157 V Hoff (Swe) 80 77.

158 C Utermarck (Ger) 80 78, C Mourgue d'Algue (Fra) 77 81.

Scots' scores:

164 J Paterson 83 81 (17th)

168 F De Vries 85 83, H Anderson 80 88 (jt 26th).

169 P Williamson 89 80 (jt 33rd).

180 J Mack 91 89 (jt 58th).