Coffey off pace

Irish champion Alison Coffey, slipped down the leaderboard in the European women's amateur championship over the Amber Baltic…

Irish champion Alison Coffey, slipped down the leaderboard in the European women's amateur championship over the Amber Baltic course in Poland yesterday after a hugely disappointing round of 76 - four over par.

That gave her a 54-hole aggregate of 219, some 11 strokes behind runaway leader, Tamia Elosegui, the Spanish title holder and six outside the medal positions.

Very rarely can one recall a day when Coffey, normally a splendid stroke player, did not have a birdie. She recorded 14 pars and four bogeys.

Things are even worse for Miltown's Suzanne O'Brien , who went into the championship with high hopes after her excellent season, but she took 77 yesterday for a 225 aggregate and all she can play for now is pride.