Davies sets the pace

JUST two senior island definites teed off at La Grande Mare yesterday in the third Seniors Island Champion-ship. Among them were defending champion Micky King, who shot a 74 to lie second after the first 18 holes of qualifying.

The top four players from the two rounds of qualifying move into Sunday's matchplay semi-finals, but the title-holder already looks in good shape to go through.

His 74, which included a treble-bogey seven at the eighth and a six on the last, leaves him just three shots adrift of Geoff Davies.

His 71 featured a particularly strong inward half of two-over 34 and included four threes.

Other good scores on day one included 75s by Pat McKeary and Colin Watson and a 76 from Carl de Carteret.

L'Ancresse member King and Pat McKeary of the Royal Guernsey seem sure of their places in the over-55s inter-insular at Grouville in the middle of next month, while La Grande Mare's Hedley Ablitt is a strong contender for a place in the squad.

Quite why more of the island's best seniors are not playing two rounds of quailifying this week with the hope of making Sunday's matchplay stages, mystifies Guernsey Golf Union president Roy Martel.

'From a Guernsey Golf Union perspective it's disappointing that not more members of the Guernsey seniors team have not taken the opportunity to take part in the competition,' said Martel yesterday.

On the plus side, said Martel, the overall entries show another small increase for what is still an embryonic event with no history.

'There is a few more than last year,' said Martel.

'It's gradually growing in size.'

Just 24 players have signed up for the third staging of the event which coincides with La Grande Mare being afforded the right to hold it for the first time.

Of those 24, 13 are La Grande Mare members.

Last year's total entry was 22.

David Richards, La Grande Mare captain, said his club were delighted to be given the chance to host an island championships for the first time.

But he is not losing any sleep over the fact that more than half the field is from his own club, pointing out that last year very few LGM members entered it when it was at L'Ancresse.

'If people don't choose to enter it because it's on a different course, so be it.'