English students in the driving

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seat at Dundonald Links

English students are in the driving seat in both the men's and women's championships with one round to go of the British Universities & Colleges' 72-hole stroke-play golf championships Dundonald Links, Ayrshire on Thursday afternoon.
Nicky Maddison (Northumbria University), pictured, who played last year on the US college circuit, leads the men's title race with a two-over-par, three-round total of 218 - which represents quite a comeback from an opening round of seven-over 79. He has tagged on very good sub-par scores of 69 and 70 to lead by one shot from team-mate Ross Crowe with Scots John Wybar (Aberdeen) and Steven Smith (Heriot Watt) in third and joint fourth positions on 221 and 222.
There are four Scots sharing sixth place on 223 - R&A Bursars champion Patrick Spraggs (Stirling), Colin Thomson (Stirling), John Duff (Aberdeen) and Alex Culverwell (Stirling) - so perhaps a Scottish last-round charge is on the cards.
Sian James (Birmingham), winner of the R&A Bursars' ladies' title last year, is making all the running in the students' women's championship.
She has had rounds of 75, 75 and 73 for 223, leading Jane Turner (Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen), a Scotland international and the defending champion, by two shots. Jane has scored 76, 74 and 75 over what is a tough track for the men - and even tougher for the women.
Monifieth's Scotland girl cap Rebecca Wilson (Stirling) is in fourth place on 230 with rounds of 80 76 and 74.

LEADING MEN'S THIRD-ROUND TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72). CSS 75 75 74.
218 Nicky Maddison (Northumbria) 79 69 70.
219 Ross Crowe (Northumbria) 74 71 74.
221 John Wybar (Aberdeen) 74 72 75.
222 Steven Smith (Heriot Watt) 74 75 73, Josh Moses (Bournemouth) 71 74 77.
223 Patrick Spraggs (Stirling) 72 81 70, Colin Thomson (Stirling) 71 79 73, John Duff (Aberdeen) 74 75 74, Alex Culverwell (Strling) 78 71 74.
224 Michael Hearn (Central Lancs) 74 76 74.
225 Chris O'Neill (UW Newport) 78 75 72, Andrew Palmer (Central Lancs) 79 70 76, Kevin Garwood (Bournemouth) 77 70 78, Daniel Beattie (Birmingham) 76 69 80.
Selected scores:
226 Sam Binning (Glasgow) 77 76 73.
227 Bobby Rushford (Stirling) 79 71 77.
228 Andrew Wallace (Stirling) 77 78 73, David Booth (Stirling) 78 77 73.
229 Graeme McDougall (Strathclyde) 77 76 76, Colin Baird (Stirling) 72 77 80.
231 Daniel Sommerville (Dundee) 74 83 74.
233 Euan Brown (Strathclyde) 80 78 75.
235 Fraser Moore (Stirling) 76 79 80.
238 Graeme Robertson (Stirling) 75 84 79.
244 Malcolm Pennycott (Heriot Watt) 86 81 77.

LEADING WOMEN'S THIRD-ROUND TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72). CSS 76 76 75
223 Sian James (Birmingham) 75 75 73.
225 Jane Turner (Robert Gordon) 76 74 75.
226 Lucy Williams (Birmingham) 80 73 73.
230 Rebecca Wilson (Stirling) 80 76 74.
237 Claire Starkie (Northumbria) 83 79 75, Lauren Spray (Birmingham) 83 76 78.
238 Christina Petersson (Northumbria) 81 77 80.
239 Kate Whitmore (UW Newport) 80 81 78, Emma Hargreaves (Exeter) 77 80 82.
240 Claire Fry (Central Lancs) 78 79 83.
242 Charlotte Hope (Birmingham) 82 84 76.
243 Susan Jackson (Edinburgh) 85 80 78.
246 Harriet Beasley (Stirling) 85 84 77.
254 Ashley Smith (St Andrews) 84 84 86.
257 Johanna Rosen (Northumbria) 85 82 90.