Golf digest

AMATEUR: Richard Kilpatrick kept his cool to superbly steer a delicate, 50-yard pitch and run to save par on the 18th green …

AMATEUR:Richard Kilpatrick kept his cool to superbly steer a delicate, 50-yard pitch and run to save par on the 18th green and reach this morning's semi-finals of the Magners North of Ireland Amateur Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

Kilpatrick, a Walker Cup team candidate, who plans to turn professional later this year, beat Dunmurry ace Darren Crowe one-up in a superb quarter-final.

Kilpatrick now meets Shane Lowry in the semi-final after the Esker Hills man put paid to the possibility of a Crowe family double in the semi-finals. He eliminated Darren's brother Stephen on the 18th green.

In the other semi-final, International Gareth Shaw meets odd-man-out Cian Curley from Newlands. Curley is the sole survivor who has no senior international credentials.

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Ireland team colleagues Shaw and Johnny Caldwell battled out a thriller before Shaw won on the 18th green.

Curley, an Irish Youth international from Lucan, defeated near neighbour Ger Lawlor of City West 3 and 2.

CHALLENGE TOUR:Denis O'Sullivan, a six-time winner on the European Seniors Tour, made a strong start to the Open de France Senior Divonne with a first round of three-under-par 69.

The Cork man offset two bogeys with five birdies to climb into a share of sixth place, two strokes behind early pacesetters Nick Job of England and Zimbabwean Tony Johnstone.

Italy's Costantino Rocca, who won the French Open on the European Tour in 1993 and the Irish Seniors Open at PGA National Ireland last month, is a shot further back after a 68 and shares third spot with Chile's Guillermo Encina and Australian David Good.

EUROPEAN WOMEN:Ireland yesterday brushed aside the disappointment of failing to qualify for the top flight in the European Ladies Team Championship in Milan by beating Norway 3-2 in Flight Two yesterday.

Ireland, however, got off to the best start by winning the foursomes match as Deirdre Smith and Maura Morrin romped to a 6 and 4 win over Amalie Valle and Lene Morch.

Tara Delaney and Danielle McVeigh collected the necessary singles points for a 3-2 victory.

Meanwhile England meet Sweden, and Spain, the defending champions, face Germany in the semi-finals.

BOYS/GIRLS:In the European boys' team championship in Denmark there was also some cheer for Ireland, albeit in the second flight, as they beat Portugal 3½-1½.

The foursomes pair of Luke Lennox and James Patterson won along with Rory McNamara and Stephen Healey in the singles.

In the European girls team championship in Oslo, play was suspended in the morning and when play resumed Ireland beat Finland 3-2.

After sharing the foursomes, the Maguire twins carried Ireland to victory with wins in the singles (cut to nine holes).