Mahy: 'Top quality field too strong to pick winner'

But, he says, the top-class field is just too strong for him to get too carried away with thoughts of landing the trophy and the £500 first prize on offer at La Grande Mare this week.

'When I heard the field I thought that's top, top quality. You are going to have to be really on your game to win.

'Not only that, the course will be a leveller. It's likely to be soft.'

Mahy, seeded four and boosted by his fine 69 in the first rounds of the L'Ancresse Club Championship on Saturday, will play Jeremy Nicolle or Geoff Orme in tomorrow's round of 16, and is in the same top half as defending champion Bobby Eggo, Danny Blondel, Jersey's Trevor Gray and the form-man, Tom Le Huray, he regards as one of two outsiders to win.

'Tom is playing very well and someone else who is a very good match-player and who knows what it takes to win, is Sean Mills.'

Mahy says the annual Ravenscroft event, supported by the Guernsey Press and now in its fourth year, has been great for island golf. 'People really pull out all the stops to get into it.

'It is a massive credit to Ravenscroft to have pulled it out of the bag.'

Yesterday's 18-holes qualifier at La Grande Mare brought the final four players into the event which carries more than £4,000 of prizes, with new LGM course record holder CJ Elmy, Geoff Orme, Arthur Evans and two-time Guernsey champion Garry McFarlane going through to the knockout stages.

• More in Monday’s Guernsey Press.

UPDATED DRAW

Ravenscroft Open Matchplay Trophy

Today

First round

5.20pm – CJ Elmy v. Arthur Evans.

5.32 – Jeremy Nicolle v. Geoff Orme.

5.44 – Isaac Bate v. Sean Mills.

5.56 – Daniel Griggs v. Garry McFarlane.

Tomorrow

Second round

5.20 – Bobby Eggo v. Elmy or Evans.

5.26 – Trevor Gray v. Danny Blondel.

5.32 – Tom Le Huray v. Jack Mitchell.

5.38 – Nicolle or Orme v. Steve Mahy.

5.44 – Jason Stokes v. Mills or Bate.

5.50 – Andy Myers v. Mick Marley.

5.56 – Jamie Blondel v. Nigel Le Noury.

6.02 – Griggs or McFarlane v. Alan Mew.

Plate qualifiers

Ben Brehaut, Winnie Savident, Paul Marshall, Martin Ashworth, Steve Nicolle, Daryl Butcher, Glen Lindsay and Alex Argo.