ENGLISH WOMEN'S OPEN MID-AM CHAMPIONSHIP

Issued 16th August, 2013 Top seed Charlotte Thomas marches on into last eight Top seed Charlotte Thomas scored two good wins today to play her way into the quarter-finals of the English women’s open mid-amateur championship at John O’Gaunt, Bedfordshire. The 20-year-old from Singapore (Image © Leaderboard Photography) made short work of her opening match, winning on the 12th. But in the afternoon she was involved in a good tussle with Suffolk’s Sharon Luckman which went to the 17th. Charlotte took the upper hand when she birdied the difficult par three 10th, sinking a tricky, curving putt of about 15ft. She dominated the next few holes and was three up after 13, producing super-accurate shots while Sharon suffered a mishit drive and a three-putt. But Sharon hung in there, reducing the deficit to two with a solid par on the 14th and then producing a delicate up-and-down in a torrential downpour to halve the 15th. She had an opportunity to win the short 16th but her putt missed and her challenge ended on the par five 17th, where Charlotte produced a textbook par to close out the match. “It was fun and Sharon played awesome,” said Charlotte, who was runner-up in last week’s English women’s stroke play championship. “Match play is completely different, with the mental side, and I’m really enjoying it.” Tomorrow she will play Chelsea Masters of Sussex, who first defeated another Suffolk player, Sarah Howe (Ipswich) and then went on to beat Louisa Tarn (Sunningdale) by the comfortable margin of 6/4. Among the other players through to the quarter finals are Chloe Rogers, the Olympic hockey bronze medallist. She first defeated her Essex colleague Charlotte Thompson, before beating Lincolnshire’s Jess Wilcox 5/4. Chloe was one down early on in the afternoon match, but won the 4th, 5th and 6th to get ahead – and stayed there with a series of steady pars. Today it was the turn of Devon’s Emma Tayler to give substance to the saying “beware the injured golfer”. She’s nursing a tweaked back muscle from the first round: “I don’t know how I did it but it feels as though someone is punching me in the back,” she reported, before joking: “It must be keeping me straight. “It doesn’t seem to be hampering me too much and this afternoon I couldn’t do anything wrong. If I hit a bad shot I recovered well and made par.” She first beat Samantha Morrell of the USA and then booked her place in the quarter finals with a win over Lancashire’s Hollie Vizard. Warwickshire’s Melissa Nicol is feeling distinctly under-the-weather but has come safely through her matches, playing below par this afternoon. “I feel terrible, but I’ve played really good,” said the 19-year-old who is the number two seed. She won her morning match on the 16th, but had to go to the 19th to beat Kimberley Bradbury of Derbyshire. Melissa had been two down after 12, but managed to get back to all square after 16 – and to hang on, despite a snap-hooked drive on 18. She rescued herself by chipping out, hitting her approach to 7ft and holing the putt, before parring the 19th for the win. She’s joined in the quarters by her Moor Hall club colleague, Charlotte Priddle, who has made meteoric progress with her golf. Eighteen months ago she was playing off 24 and now she’s fluctuating between five and six and playing her second national event. “It’s great fun,” she said, after winning her afternoon match on the 13th. Results: FIRST ROUND Charlotte Thomas (Singapore) bt Holly Langford (South Staffs) 7/6 Sharon Luckman (Felixstowe Ferry) bt Bethany Garton (Royal Lytham & St Annes) 3/2 Louisa Tarn (Sunningdale) bt Gemma Clews (Delamere Forest) 1up Chelsea Masters (Highwoods, Bexhill) bt Sarah Howe (Ipswich) 2/1 Jackie Foster (Bishops Stortford) bt Melissa McMahon (Lyme Regis) 2/1 Samantha Giles (St Mellion) bt Sophie Hillier (John O'Gaunt) 3/2 Charlotte Priddle (Moor Hall) bt Emilee Taylor (Holme Hall) 1up Alice Boothroyd (Rudding Park) bt Sophie Powell (Stockport) 3/2 Melissa Nicol (Moor Hall) bt Nicola Rawlinson (Royal Birkdale) 3/2 Kimberley Bradbury (Cavendish) bt Lucy Evans (Wrekin) 3/2 Chloe Rogers (Braintree) bt Charlotte Thompson (Channels) 3/2 Jessica Wilcox (Blankney) bt Jo Hodge (Kendleshire) 1up Hollie Vizard (Pleasington) bt Daisy Macve (Surrey National) 3/2 Emma Tayler (Saunton) bt Samantha Morrell (USA) 3/2 Jessica Gregory (Sittingbourne and Milton Regis) bt Elizabeth Haycock (Moseley) 6 and 5 Gemma Bradbury (Cottrell Park) bt Amanda Colgate-Herbert (Rochford Hundred) SECOND ROUND Thomas bt  Luckman 3 and 1. Masters bt Tarn 6 and 4. Giles bt Foster 2 and 1 Priddle bt Boothroyd 6 and 5. Nicol bt K Bradbury at 19th Rogers bt Wilcox 5 and 4. Tayler bt Vizard 6 and 5. Gregory bt G Bradbury 3 and 1. For more information visit www.englandgolf.org/championships Lyndsey Hewison Press Officer England Golf pr@englandgolf.org 07825 752 193