CAROLINE AND VALERIE BACK IN THE PICTURE AT BRITISH MID-AM STROKE

Two Scots golfing exiles, Caroline Agnew and Valerie Melvin, came to the fore again in the first round of the British women's mid-amateur stroke-play championship at Frilford Heath Golf Club, Oxfordshire today.

Agnew, who won the Scottish Under-18 girls' match-play title at Baberton in 1993 and reached the final of the Scottish women's amateur championship at North Berwick in 1998, was in fourth position at the end of the first of three rounds.
Caroline had to go south in pursuit of her employment soon after losing to Elaine Moffat in the 1998 "Scottish" and is now a member at Links Newmarket Golf Club.
She had a four-over-par round of 77 to be five shots behind the leader and title favourite, GB&I Curtis Cup player of yesteryear, Emma Duggleby (Malton & North).
Caroline was three over par after only seven holes, running up a double bogey 7 at the second and dropping another shot at the seventh but she got a birdie 2 at the ninth and a birdie 4 at the long 12th.
She was able to get one more birdie, at the 16th, but surrounded it with bogeys at the 14th, 15th, 17th and 18th in halves of 39 and 38.
Valerie Melvin, pictured above, beaten by Catriona Matthew in the 1994 Scottish women's amateur championship final at Gullane, has spent the last few years working in the United States in a golf-related post.

She is in fifth place with a 78, despite starting with a double bogey 6 and reaching the turn in 41. Birdies at the 12th and 18th got her back in 37 for a respectable opening score.
Fife county player Jocelyn Carthew (Ladybank) had the kind of start to give a golfer nightmares - a 9 at the par-4 opening hole and a double bogey 6 at the fifth hole. She had another double bogey at the par-5 10th on her way to an 82 and a share of 11th place in the relatively small field for the over-25s' championship.
Former Scottish seniors champion Pamela Williamson (Baberton) also had a depressing start with a triple bogey 7 at the first and a double bogey at the short fourth on her way to an outward half of 44. She finished in joint 16th place with an 83.

FIRST ROUND LEADERS
Par 73
72 E Duggleby (Malton & North).
76 M Kaamalahti (Finland), A Coffey (Worplesdon).
77 C Agnew (Links Newmarket).
78 V Melvin (US).
79 L Houseman (Highgate), T Boyes (Meon Valley), I Brien (Wentworth).
80 B Mullins-Lane (Aus).
Other Scots scores:
82 J Carthew (Ladybank).
83 P Williamson (Baberton).
92 P Bennett (Reading).