MICHELE WINS AFTER OPPONENT DISCOVERS
SHE HAS STARTED WITH SIXTEEN CLUBS

Aberdeenshire women's county champion Michele Thomson (McDonald Ellon) won her way through to the last 32 of the Ladies British open amateur championship at rain-soaked Alwoodley golf course, Leeds today - after being TWO up after only one hole.
Michele went on to win by 6 and 5 with level par golf against Hannah Barwood from Bristol who discovered on the second tee that she had inadvertently 16 clubs – two too many – in her golf bag.
“We dried out all out my soaking wet clubs in the hotel room on Tuesday night and put them all in the golf bag to come to the course this morning, forgetting that the additional clubs I had used on the practice ground were now in the bag as well,” explained Hannah.
“It’s a pity but it happens and it’s a lesson as well to Hannah. Bigger players than Hannah have made the same mistake,” said her dad who spotted the mistake on the second tee.
Michele was seven up after six holes before losing the seventh and winning the eighth and halving the ninth to be one up at the turn.
Miss Thomson qualified in 14th position among the 64 who made it through to the match-play knock-out stages. They included Fife teenager Krystle Caithness (St Regulus) who came through an 11-way play-off for the last three places.
The play-off began at 8.45pm last night and was resumed at 5.45am this morning with only four players left, battling it out. One hole was enough to eliminate Jessica Potter from Canada.
The rain which began to fall early afternoon yesterday had still not gone off. The greens were soaking up the excess water well but large puddles were beginning to form on the fairways.
The first Scot to be beaten on the third day of the championship was young Roseanne Niven from Crieff. She lost by 3 and 2 to the experienced former Irish champion, Deirdre Smith (Co) Louth.
Krystle Caithness had a good 2 and 1 win over the No 3 seed Jodi Ewart, the Catterick girl who was ranked No 20 on the American women's college circuit after her first year at New Mexico University.
It was, of course, Krystle's second time on the course, having been up at 5am to take part in the 5.45am play-off which got her into the match-play stages.
Scottish champion Jenna Wilson (Strathaven) beat Marion Bernard from France by two holes after a bad start which saw her two down on the sixth tee. Jenna then won two of the next three holes to square the match and it was still even after 13 holes.
Sally Watson (Elie & Earlsferry) lost the tightest of ties at the 20th against Valerie Sternebeck from Germany. Sally came within an inch or winning at the second extra hole. Her pitch shot lipped out of the hole with the ball spinning away to the 4ft range, from which the South Queensferry 15-year-old missed her vital putt.
Laura Murray from Alford lost by 2 and 1 to Hannah Burke (Mid-Herts), who plays for Baylor University, Texas on the US college circuit. Laura was two down after three holes and could never get back on terms, even though she tried her hardest and on several occasions cut the deficit to one hole.
"It was a good game. I enjoyed it," said Laura, who was making her debut in the British championship.
Louise Kenney from Pitreavie sailed into the last 32 with a 5 and 4 win over Thea Hoffmeister (Germany) and now plays England international Rachel Bell (Ganton).
Heather MacRae (Dunblane New) went down by 3 and 2 to Valentine Derry, the Paris girl who celebrated her 21st birthday on Wednesday.


Results:

FIRST ROUND

C Ciganda (Esp) bt K Coombes (Aus) 6 and 4.
C Afonso (Esp) bt D McVeigh (Royal Co Down) 2 and 1.

M Silva (Esp) bt T Karlsson (Swe) 4 and 3.
A Riguelle (Fra) bt T Luccioli (Bel) 2 and 1.

D-C Schreefel (Ned) bt D Becker (Ger) 3 and 1.
L Collin (John O'Gaunt) bt E Alonso (Fra) 2 and 1.

M Thomson (McDonald Ellon) bt H Barwood (Knowle) 6 and 5.
S Sherlock (Can) bt M Riordan (Tipperary) 4 and 3.

E Bennett (Aus) bt B Toumpsin (Bel) 6 and 4.
D Smith (Co Louth) bt R Niven (Crieff) 3 and 2.

D Montgomery (Lambourne) bt P Lindberg (Swe) 2 and 1.
B Loucks (Wrexham) bt D Karlsson (Swe) at 20th.

C Boeljon (Ned) bt R Jennings (Izaak Walton) 2 and 1.
C Westrup (Swe) bt C Aitken (London) 3 and 2.

H Burke (Mid-Herts) bt L Murray (Alford) 2 and 1.
M Van der Graaf (Ned) bt M Reid (Chevin) at 19th.

K Caithness (St REgulus) bt J Ewart (Catterick) 2 and 1.
V Derrey (Fra) bt H Macrae (Dunblane New) 3 and 2.

R Connor (Manchester) bt S Kirchmayr (Ger) 4 and 3.
T Delaney (Carlow) bt G Dunn (Peterborough Milton) 4 and 3.

J Wilson (Strathaven) bt M Bernard (Fra) 2 holes.
K Kinnerud (Swe) bt F Parker (Royal Birkdale) at 19th.

V Sternebeck (Ger) bt S Watson (Elie & Earlsferry) at 20th.
A Nordqvist (Swe) bt T Nilsson (Swe) 5 and 4.

R Bell (Ganton) bt S Evans (Vale of Llangollen) 2 and 1.
L Kenney (Pitreavie) bt T Hoffmeister (Ger) 5 and 4.

S Keating (Aus) bt E Duggleby (Malton & Norton) 7 and 5.
S Hassan (Vale of Glamorgan) bt N Holleder (Ger) 5 and 4.

S Wilkstrom (Swe) bt C De Vries (Ned) 2 and 1.
E Bennett (Brokenhurst Manor) bt R Lee-Bentham (Can) 3 and 2.

K Meixner (Can) bt K Schallenberg (Ger) 5 and 4.
A Munoz (Spa) bt S Kim (Can) 2 and 1.