French withdraw en bloc from 'Helen Holm'

... Friday's field is reduced to 80 players

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
The field for the first big event of the domestic women’s amateur golf calendar – the Helen Holm Scottish women’s stroke-play championship at Troon – has been decimated by withdrawals due to the travel situation.
Only 80 players will tee it up in Friday's first round at Troon Portland compared with an entry of 99 before the volcanic ash hit the fan.
The biggest loss to the prestige of the 54-hole event is the total drop-out of the 16 French players who had been entered. They included top notchers Lucie Andre, No 1 in the European Golf Association rankings at the end of 2009, Emilie Alonso and Rosanna Crepiat.
The good news is that the 14-strong Irish entry is intact, headed by the wonder twins, 15-year-old Leona and Lisa Maguire from the Slieve Russell club. Leona won the ‘Helen Holm’ last year and Lisa was finished officially third.
Leona has already retained the French Under-21 title this year.
Both are certainties to be named on Monday in the GB&I squad of eight for the Curtis Cup match against the United States at Essex County Club, Massachusetts in June.
Other members of the preliminary squad named several months ago who will be seeking to
grab this last chance to impress the selectors will be:
Hannah Barwood (Knowle), Amy Boulden (Maesdu), Gemma Bradbury (Cottrell Park), Holly Clyburn (Woodhall Spa), Charlie Douglass (Brocket Hall), Rachel Jennings (Izaak Walton), Louise Kenney (Pitreavie), Danielle McVeigh (Royal Co Down), Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar), Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle) and Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale).
Others from the short leet, Sally Watson (Elie & Earlsferry Ladies), Lucy Gould (Bargoed) and Stephanie Meadow (Royal Portrush), are not playing in the 'Helen Holm,' because they are students at American colleges.
Welsh champion Tara Davies (Holyhead) was not in the original list but finished fourth in the Portuguese open amateur championship in January and is likely to be considered by the selectors.
The revised first and second-round draws at Troon Portland - and it should be well worth going along to have a look at the best female amateurs in the country if you live in Ayrshire - is:
(The number listed before each player is their competitor's number, which should be displayed prominently on their golf bags to help you (and the referees) identify them:

9.00am Friday & 11.30am Saturday
28 Bronwyn Davies (Trentham) England
11 Victoria Bradshaw (Bangor) Ireland
9.10 Friday & 11.40 Saturday.
54 Anne Laing (Vale of Leven) Scotland
29 Tara Davies (Holyhead) Wales
9.20 Friday & 11.50 Saturday
95 Rachael Watton (Mortonhall) Scotland
16 Ciara Butler (Newlands) Ireland
10 Gemma Bradbury (Cottrell Park) Wales
9.30 Friday & 12.00 Saturday
17 Clare-Marie Carlton (Ferenze) Scotland
40 Rebecca Gee (Wellingborough) England
25 Sarah Cunningham (Ennis) Ireland
9.40 Friday & 12.10 Saturday
12 Eilidh Briggs (Kilmacolm) Scotland
72 Louise Mernagh (Woodenbridge) Ireland
7 Samantha Birks (Wolstanton) Wales
9.50 Friday & 12.20 Saturday
82 Ann B Ramsay (Kirriemuir) Scotland
9 Amy Boulden (Maesdu) Wales
74 Aedin Murphy (Carlow) Ireland
---------------------------
Starter's time on Saturday
---------------------------
10.0 Friday & 12.40 Saturday.
23 Laura Collin (John O'Gaunt) England
43 Anjelika Hammar (Torekov) Sweden
45 Becky Harries (Haverfordwest) Wales
10.10 Friday & 12.50 Saturday
73 Gillian Monteith (Portpatrick Dunskey) Scotland
38 Sara Garbutt (Ganton) England
78 Gillian O'Leary (Cork) Ireland
10.20 Friday & 1.00 Saturday
4 Lisa Ball (Matfen Hall) England
13 Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm) Scotland
96 Jess Wilcox (Blankney) England
10.30 Friday & 1.10 Saturday
48 Susan Jackson (Ladybank) Scotland
36 Maura Diamond (Royal Portrush) Ireland
41 Hannah Grant (Enmore Park) England
-----------------------------
Starter's Time on Friday
-----------------------------
10.50 Friday & 9.00am Saturday
14 Kelly Brotherton (Troon Welbeck) Scotland
66 Leona Maguire (Slieve Russell) Ireland
34 Naomi Edwards (Ganton) England
11.00 Friday & 9.10 Saturday.
86 Emma Sheffield (Newark) England
22 Holly Clyburn (Woodhall Spa) England
84 Sarah Helly (Enniscrone) Ireland
11.10 Friday & 9.20 Saturday
71 Danielle McVeigh (Royal Co Down Ladies) Ireland
51 Rachel Jennings (Izaak Walton) England
97 Charlotte Wild (Mere Golf & Country Club) England
11.10 Friday & 9.30 Saturday
81 Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle) Scotland
90 Lauren Taylor (Woburn) England
80 Mireia Prat (Caballeria Montanya) Spain
11.20 Friday & 9.40 Saturday
67 Lisa Maguire (Slieve Russell) Ireland
5 Hannah Barwood (Knowle) England -
15 Emma Brown (Malton & Norton) England
11.30 Friday & 9.50 Saturday
44 Rachel Hanlon (St Regulus) Scotland
87 Lucy Simpson (Massereene) Ireland
62 Gabrielle MacDonald (Craigielaw) Scotland
11.50 Friday & 10.00 Saturday
68 Stephanie McEvoy (Old Fold Manor) England
57 Samantha Leslie (Westhill) Scotland
76 Elizaveta Nikulina (Moscow City) Russia
12.00 Friday & 10.10 Saturday
79 Karen O'Neill (Douglas) Ireland
91 Rachael Taylor (Hartl Golf Resort, Germany) Scotland
3 Lesley Atkins (Minto) Scotland
12.10 Friday & 10.20 Saturday
39 Bethany Garton (Royal Lytham & St Annes) England
69 Alyson McKechin (Elderslie) Scotland
70 Rachael McQueen (Troon Ladies) Scotland
12.20 Friday & 10.30 Saturday
83 Charlene Reid (Royal Portrush) Ireland
99 Rebecca Wilson (Grange) Scotland
88 Ailsa Summers (Carnoustie Ladies) Scotland
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Starter's Time on Friday & Saturday
-------------------------------------------
12.40 Friday & 10.50 Saturday
37 Nikki Foster (Pleasington) England
49 Sian James (Bristol & Clifton) England
75 Laura Murray (Alford) Scotland
12.50 Friday & 11.00 Saturday.
98 Lucy Williams (Mid Herts) England
27 Charlotte Dalton (Ladbrook Park) England
63 Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) Scotland
1.00 Friday & 11.10 Saturday
50 Josephine Janson (Ringenas) Sweden
31 Charlie Douglass (Brocket Hall) England
52 Louise Kenney (Pitreavie) Scotland
1.10 Friday & 11.20 Saturday
35 Charlotte Ellis (Minchinhampton) England
94 Jane Turner (Craigielaw) Scotland
92 Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale) England

+The leading 66 players and ties after two rounds will go forward to Sunday's third and final round at Royal Troon where the players will go out in reverse order of their scores, i.e. leaders last.