English duo Daren Lee and Warren Bennett hold a one-shot lead midway through the rain-delayed second round of the Novotel Perrier French Open in Lyon.

After four hours of play were lost on Thursday, persistent rain throughout yesterday's play eventually waterlogged parts of the Sangliers course and forced play to be suspended early with half the 150-strong field yet to complete their second rounds.

Lee and Bennett were both six-under-par after 10 and seven holes respectively when play was abandoned shortly before 5.30 p.m. local time with the restart scheduled for 8 a.m. this morning.

Ireland's Gary Murphy, Philip Walton, Paul McGinley and Ronan Rafferty all managed to complete their second rounds, with Murphy, Walton and McGinley all finishing on a total of 139. Rafferty is just two shots further back.

"I think they played an hour too long," said Essex-born Lee, who made one birdie and one bogey in his opening 10 holes.

"Even when you placed the ball you felt you were playing out of water and lost control. It was almost unplayable so I'm very pleased to be where I am."

Bennett, who like Lee won the silver medal as leading amateur in the Open championship before turning professional, began with a double bogey on the first but recovered immediately with birdies at the second and third and had just birdied the seventh when play was called off.

Three players had earlier set the clubhouse target at five under par, two more Englishmen Paul Eales and Roger Winchester joined by South African Desvonde Botes who won the qualifying school in November.

Eales was delighted to be back on the leaderboard, having rediscovered his appetite for the game after struggling in recent years to capitalise on his only tournament win in 1994.

The 37-year-old from Preston only secured his card for this season with a battling 12th place finish in the final counting event in Italy last October and admitted that had been a real wake-up call after eight unbroken years on tour.

"I'm pleased this is my ninth successive year on tour and the number one goal this year is to make it 10," said Eales who completed the final three holes of his first-round 66 yesterday morning and added a second-round 69.

Costantino Rocca had picked up three birdies in his first six holes to join those on five under par while Jose Maria Olazabal was two shots off the pace after starting his second round with eight pars.

Mark James has targeted the PGA Championship at Wentworth for his comeback after beating cancer.

The former Ryder Cup captain has been out of action for nearly seven months after being diagnosed with cancer which needed chemotherapy and the removal of a tumour.

"You can never say with cancer that you're completely cured," said James.

"You have to go back for scans for years afterwards but at the moment I'm doing great," he added.