There is guaranteed British finalist in the Girls Amateur after home players again rose to the occasion at Carnoustie today.
FORMAT: 36-hole stroke play / 6 rounds of matchplay
One of Lottie Woad (Farnham), Emily James (Royal Lytham), Rachel Gourley (Arcot Hall) or Ellise Rymer (Woodhall Spa) will make Sunday’s final after all four reached the last eight this afternoon in fine style. The semi-finals also take place tomorrow.
For James the fairytale continues as she took care of the precocious Irish teenager Olivia Costello 5&4 to reach the quarter-finals. The Lancashire-based teenager was only tenth in the Wales Girls Championship last month and has not had the best of seasons.
However her third successive matchplay victory has put her in sight of one of the most remarkable title victories of recent times.
However James faces the formidable Lottie Woad tomorrow for a place in the last four. The England international was never behind as she beat Spain’s Paula Garcia Balazategui 2&1.
At bottom of the draw England Junior team-mates Gourley and Rymer do battle.
Gourley went bogey free as she beat India’s Avani Prashanth playing arguably the best stuff of the day. The Northumberland star was three under after 16.
There is also still the possibility of an-all British final with Amelia Wan (Sherwood Forest) once again delivering in fine style. The Notts youngster beat a Spanish opponent for the second successive day. A day after seeing off the No 1 seed, the U-16s player won the first against Julian Morales Sanchez and was never behind as she ran out a 4&2 victor.
In the Boys Amateur, three British players have reached the last eight.
Wales Men’s Open Stroke Play champion Caolan Burford (Rhuddlan) was too good for Oscar Lent (Walton Heath) after the Surrey junior made a slow start allowing his opponent win three of the first four holes and he eventually lost 4&2.
Lent’s Surrey and club team-mate Kris Kim had a better time of it despite also starting slowly against The Centurion Club’s Max Shirvell, who was ahead for most of the front nine.
Kim won nine and ten despite being three over for the holes and eventually sealed the deal with a par on the penultimate hole.
Hexham’s Morgan Blythe was much more solid as he took out Wales ace Joe Jones (Langlands Bay) 5&4.
The Northumberland star, who was instrumental in their county championship win last year, was behind early but took the lead at the sixth and a birdie at the 14th closed things out.