NEWS RELEASE FROM ENGLAND GOLF

CHARLOTTE LEADS ENGLISH STROKE PLAY  Essex golfer Charlotte Thompson will celebrate her birthday tomorrow by teeing off as the halfway leader in the English women’s stroke play championship at Little Aston, Staffordshire. The event is sponsored by Tourism Ireland. She’s four under par after 36 holes, putting together a pair of 71s, and holds a three-shot lead over Alex Peters (Notts Ladies’). Behind them, in a group on one-over, is the first round leader Chloe Leurquin of Belgium, local player Emily Coleman of Trentham, and former England champion Kerry Smith (Waterlooville) I’m really chuffed,” said Charlotte (Channels, Image © Leaderboard Photography), who will be 20 tomorrow. “I’ve just got to keep going onwards and upwards!” She set off today in exactly the same style as in the first round, with birdies on the second and third holes and she got to three-under after seven. Three bogeys, on eight, 10 and 11 – where she went in the trees and had to take a penalty drop – brought her back to level par for the round. But once more she rallied with birdies on the 14th and the 17th to get back under par. Putting was one of Charlotte’s strengths and accounted for only 30 of her shots, just as it did in the first round. Alex Peters also beat par with her one-under 72, but was left counting the cost of two shots. “I got to three-under after 12 but then three-putted the 14th and knocked it in the water at 17 and made five. “I played well, I just had one bad putt and one bad shot, but I’m pretty happy with the way it’s going out there,” said Alex, who has now finished school and is successfully making the most of full-time golf for a few months. First round leader, Chloe Leurquin was disappointed with her second round 77, reporting a struggle on the front nine, which included a four-putt. Encouragingly however, she came home in one-under par. “The back nine was good!” she said. Chloe is a member of a five-strong Belgium squad playing in the championship and it was one of her colleagues who returned the low-score of the day, a four-under 68. Fanny Cnops, who won the 2011 German ladies’ amateur, described her round as: “Everything or nothing. Yesterday I was eight-over and I told myself ‘You are playing a sport you love, so enjoy yourself’ – and I did. I felt a lot more free and relaxed and went for the shots I wanted. I had nothing to lose!” She made the cut with ease, in a share of seventh place. After today’s round the field was cut to the leading 36 players and ties. A total of 42 players will contest the final 36 holes tomorrow. Qualifying scores Par 146 (2x73) CSS 77 77 142 Charlotte Thompson (Channels) 71 71 145 Alex Peters (Notts Ladies) 73 72 147 Kerry Smith (Waterlooville) 74 73, Chloé Leurquin (BEL) 70 77, Emily Coleman (Trentham) 72 75 148 Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale) 73 75 149 Fanny Cnops (BEL) 81 68, Jessica Bradley (Tiverton) 75 74, Katie Bradbury (WAL) 77 72 150 Emily Taylor (Hillside) 73 77, Charlotte Wild (Mere) 74 76, Megan Briggs (SCO) 72 78, Manon De Roey (BEL) 73 77, Charlotte Leathem (Styal) 77 73, Becky Harries (WAL) 73 77, Lauren Horsford (Wimbledon Park) 74 76 151 Jane Turner (SCO) 75 76, Eilidh Briggs (SCO) 77 74 152 Rochelle Morris (Huddersfield), 74 78, Kimberley Bradbury (Cavendish) 76 76 153 Abbey Gittings (Walmley) 76 77, Natalie Lowe (Styal) 76 77, Jo Hodge (The Kendleshire) 78 75, Inci Mehmet (Wentworth), 75 78, Sarah-Jane Boyd (Truro) 76 77, Emma Goddard (Royal Liverpool Ladies) 79 74, Hannah Grant (Enmore Park) 74 79 154 Emma Newlove (Notts Ladies) 80 74 155 Ellie Robinson (Wilton), 76 79, Claire Smith (Silsden) 78 77, Ami Storey (Ponteland) 78 77, Sophie Keech (Lyme Regis) 78 77, Raffi Dyer (Hayling) 77 78, Annabel Dimmock (Wentworth) 79 76, Emma Tayler (Saunton) 78 77 156 Charlotte Austwick (Fulford) 82 74, Ashleigh Greenham (West Essex) 79 77, Bethany Garton (Royal Lytham) 77 79, Samantha Giles (St. Mellion) 76 80, Bethany Round (Enville), 78 78, Bronwyn Davies (Trentham) 80 76, Helen Searle (Huddersfield) 75 81 MISSED THE CUT (156 or better qualified) 157 Hannah McCook (Grantown on Spey) 77 80, Hayley Davis (Tidworth) 81 76 TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES CLICK HERE Lyndsey Hewison Press Officer England Golf pr@englandgolf.org 07825 752 193