NORTHERN OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

Craig Lee still leading field with

a round to go at Aviemore

England's Steven Parry and Paul Wardell of Whitekirk showed the scoring potential on the Spey Valley Course at Aviemore - if you can keep your ball on the short stuff - by putting together some impressive figures in the penultimate round of the 72-hole Northern Open championship today.

Parry reduced the first nine holes to 30 strokes - certain to bring tears to the eyes of designer Dave Thomas - with birdies at the second, third, fifth, sixth, seventh and ninth.

He went seven under for the round with a birdie at the 10th before the course hit back at the 13th which cost Parry a double bogey 7. He had one more birdie, his eighth, at the 15th before he finished with a bogey for 37 home and a five-under-par 67, the best of the tournament so far.

Wardell had no bogeys at all in halves of 34 and 33 for a 67. Paul birdied the fifth and sixth in an outward 34, and the 10th, 15th and 18th on the inward journey.

Despite their heroics, Parry and Wardell at "only" joint fifth on level par 216 - three shots behind the long-time leader Craig "I need the money" Lee (pictured above), who had a 73 for 213, and two in arrears of the joint second-placed Englishman Martyn Hamer (70 for 214) and Edinburgh's Mark Kerr (73 for 214).

Yet another Englishman, Sean Doherty, is lying fourth on 214 after a third-round 73. Because there is no sponsorship, first prize has come down from £8,000 to £2,500.

THIRD ROUND TOTALS

Par 216 (3 x 72: 36-36)

213 Craig Lee (unatt) 72 68 73 (34-39).

214 Martyn Hamer (Ellesmere) 74 70 70 (34-36), Mark Kerr (unatt) 70 71 73 (34-39)

215 Sean Doherty (Bury) 70 72 73 (33-40).

216 Steven Parry (unatt) 75 74 67 (30-37), Paul Wardell (Whitekirk) 78 71 67.

217 Craig Ronald (Carluke) 74 73 70, Robert Arnott (Bishopbriggs) 74 72 71, David Orr (East Renfrewshire) 71 75 71.

218 Ross Cameron (McDonald Ellon) 73 72 73, Stephen Gray (Hayston) 72 71 75.

219 Mark King (Kingsfield) 77 71 71, Mark Barnard (Inchmarlo) 73 74 72.

220 Gordon Sherry (Kilmarnock Barassie) 78 63 69, Steven Duncan (Balbirnie Park) 78 70 72, Fraser Mann (Musselburgh) 76 72 72, Colin Gillies (Perry Golf) 77 70 73, Craig Matheson (Falkirk Tryst) 71 73 76.

221 Graham Fox (East Kilbride) 75 767 70, Christopher Hanson (unatt) 78 72 71, Lindsay Mann (Carnoustie) 79 70 72, Jonathan Lomas (unatt) 78 71 72, Paul McKechnie (Braid Hills) 72 74 75.

222 Scott Henderson (Kings Links) 79 71 72.

223 Steven Taylor (Bothwell Castle) 78 74 71, Samuel Cairns (Colville Park) 76 75 72, Neil Fenwick (Dunbar) 76 70 77.

224 Alan Lockhart (Ladybank) 75 77 72, Alastair Mackenzie (Duddingston) 83 68 73, David Patrick (Elie) 76 75 73, Graeme Lornie (Paul Lawrie Foundation) 80 71 73, James McKinnon (Irvine) 73 77 74.

225 Kenneth Hutton (Downfield) 76 75 74, Edward Thomson (Senit Associates) 70 76 79.

MORE SCORES LATER