Ayrshire exile Speirs now leading Scot in Aussie tournament

Gordon Yates (80) misses

halfway cut in Lake

Macquarie International

Scots Ross Kellett (Caprington) and Gordon Yates (Hilton Park) had contrasting fortunes in the very hot conditions today for the second round of the Lake Macquarie International men's amateur stroke-play tournament at Belmont Golf Club, New South Wales.

Ross had a fine round of three-under-par 69, which represented a seven-shot improvement over his first-day effort.

A halfway total of 145 (tied 44th position) saw him beat the cut which decreed that only those players in the field of 190 with 36-hole tallies of 148 or better would go through to the weekend's last two rounds.

Gordon Yates, definitely in the title picture with an opening round of 70, dropped down the field and out of the tournament with a second-round 80 for 150: two shots too many to beat the cut.

Fraser Fotheringham (Nairn) also failed to qualify with scores of 78 and 80 for 158.

The leading Scot in the tournament going into the third round is Ayrshire exile Stephen Speirs (pictured above) with scorfes of 74 and 68 for 142 and a share of 20th place.

Overnight leader Australian Matt Jager dropped back but rounds of 67 and 74 for 141 kept him in the mix.

Another Aussie, Robert Payne, revelled in the heat with a 66 to add to his first-round 66 and with a two-round total of nine-under-par 135, he opened up a two-shot lead over Swiss player Arthur Gabella-Wenne who added a 65 to his first-day 72.

LEADING HALFWAY TOTALS

Par 144 (2 x 72)

Players from Australia unless stated

135 Robert Payne 69 66.

137 Arthur Gabella-Wenne (Swi) 72 65.

138 Charles Ford (Eng) 68 70, Brendon Smtih 69 69.

139 Ryan McCarthy 71 659, Nick Gillespie (NZ) 70 69, Michael Smyth 70 69, Joshua Boz 69 70.

140 Scott Arnold 71 69, Rhys McGovern 70 70, Jordan Zunic 69 71, Dimitrios Papadatos 68 72, Brody Ninyette 70 70.

Selected scores:

141 Matt Jager 67 74.

142 Stephen Speirs (Sco) 74 69 (jt 20th), Alexandre Kaleka (Fra) 72 70.

143 Jason Palmer (Eng) 75 659.

145 Ross Kellett (Sco) 76 69 (jt 44th).

MISSED THE CUT (148 OR BETTER)

150 Gordon Yates (Sco) 70 80.

158 Fraser Fotheringham (Sco) 78 80.