HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HEATHER AFTER
AN EAGLE 2 AT THE LAST BUT
JENNA CRASHES OUT AT HALFWAY

Dunblane's Heather MacRae continues to spearhead the Scottish presence rather than challenge in the British women's open amateur stroke-play golf championship after a sunny but more blustery, windy second day at Conwy Golf Club, Caernarvonshire.
Heather is holding down a share of fourth place at the halfway stage thanks to a brilliant last shot of the day - on her 23rd birthday.
She holed a gap wedge approach shot at the 358yd 18th hole for an eagle 2, immediately after running up a double bogey 6 at the treacherous 17th. Having gone 17 holes without a single birdie, it was a great way for Miss MacRae to finish the day on one-over-par 149, even though it was a two-over-par 76, compared with a 73 on the opening day.
Heather won this title at Nairn two years ago but has not been selected for the Scotland team of eight for next month's women's home internationals at Dunbar.
To find the next Scot on the scoreboard after Miss MacRae, one has to go eight strokes down to teenager Jane Turner (Mortonhall) who is on 157 after an 80 and a 77. Like Heather, Jane had an eagle on her card, a 3 at the long 14th but only two holes later she marked up a triple bogey 7 at the 167th in an inward 40.
Carly Booth, the Comrie 15-year-old who finished sixth in this championship 12 months ago, had purple patch of four birdies, three of them a long holes, between the sixth and the 10th but she had had a double bogey 7 at the third. Carly finished on 78 (38-40) for 158.
Kylie Walker (Buchanan Castle) and Laura Murray (Alford) survived the cut with one stroke to spare on 159. Kylie had rounds of 80 and 79, Laura 79 and 80, including double bogeys at the 11th and 12th in an inward 41.
The most surprising Scottish non-qualifier was national champion Jenna Wilson (Strathaven). She missed the cut by four shots with a second-round 84 for 163. Jenna lost the plot on an inward 44 which had a double bogey 6 at the 12th, a double bogey 5 at the short 13th and a triple bogey 7 at the 17th.
Scotland team-mate Michele Thomson (McDonald Ellon) had little chance of beating the cut after a first-round 87 but she had a go with a nine-stroke improvement for a 78 which included a 9 at the par-5 ninth. Michele did birdie the 14th, 16th and 18th in an inward 36.
A third member of the Scotland team for Dunbar, Emily Ogilvy (Auchterarder), failed to qualify for the final 36 holes. Like Michele, Emily had left herself too much ground to make up after an opening score of 87. She did even better than Miss Thomson today with a 76 (36-30).
Melissa Reid from Derby leads by five shots from Rachel Jennings (Izaak Walton) - 19 tomorrow - at the halfway stage with 70 and 72 for six-under-par 142.
The good news about Melissa, this year's winner of the Scottish open stroke-play title and the St Rule Trophy and also leading amateur in the Ricoh's Women's British Open, is that she is not turning pro until AFTER next year's Curtis Cup match over the Old Course, St Andrews.
Thank goodness! We'll need her.

LEADING QUALIFIERS
Par 148 (2 x 74)
142 M Reid (Chevin) 70 72.
147 R Jennings (Izaak Walton) 71 76.
148 N Edwards (Ganton) 72 76, E Cabrera (Spa) 75 73.
149 H MacRae (Dunblane) 73 76, F Parker (Royal Birkdale) 73 76, D-C Schreefel (Net) 75 74.
Other qualifiers included:
157 J Turner (Mortonhall) 80 77(37-40).
158 C Booth (Comrie) 80 78 (38-40)
159 K Walker (Buchanan Castle) 80 79 (41-38), L Murray (Alford) 79 80 (39-41).
Scottish non-qualifiers:
161 L Mackin (Majorca) 80 81 (41-40).
162 C MacDonald (Gullane) 81 81 (41-40), R Livingstone (Musselburgh Old) 77 85 (40-45.
163 E Ogilvy (Auchterarder) 87 76 (36-40), E Lowrey-Gold (Eaton) 80 83 (41-42), J Wilson (Strathaven) 79 84 (40-44).
165 G Webster (Hilton Park) 85 80 (40-40), M Thomson (McDonald Ellon) 87-78 (42-36).
166 E Fairnie (Dunbar) 89 77 (39-38).
184 A Bushby (Strathmore) 93 91 (47-44)