British Women's Amateur ChampionshipA day that started so promisingly with nine Irish competitors left in the British Women's Amateur Championship over the Royal County Down links, in Newcastle, ended last night with just two - Tricia Mangan and Maura Morrin - remaining to battle in the third round.

The Delaney sisters - Tara and Karen - fell by the wayside alongside Martina Gillen, Deirdre Smith, Danielle McVeigh and, most surprisingly of all, Claire Coughlan, the second qualifier.

Morrin, who plays out of the same club, The Curragh, as the last Irish winner of this title, Lilian Behan, 21 years ago, gave two five-star displays to book her place in round three.

She overcame Mexico's Devan Anderson by 4 and 3, and then caused an upset by eliminating Curtis Cup hopeful Gillen by 4 and 2.

Morrin was one up at the turn, and then gradually gained the upper hand to book a meeting this morning with the Spaniard Maria Hernandez.

Mangan, who recently won the Irish title for the second consecutive year, had to pull out all the shots in the first round to overcome Sweden's talented Caroline Westrup on the home green.

The Ennis star continued the good work in the afternoon when she turned four up on her way to a 5 and 4 win over Scotland's Louise Kenney.

Virtually a certainty for this summer's Curtis Cup team, Mangan will this morning meet the tough Australian Emma Bennett for a place in the quarter-finals.

Bennett easily saw off Tara Delaney in the second round by 5 and 4, while Tara's sister Karen lost earlier in the day to Germany's Katharina Schallenberg.

Smith, from Co Louth, lost in the opening round on the home green to Joanna Klatten of France.

But the biggest disappointment was the defeat at the end of the day of Cork's Coughlan, who was second-best qualifier.

The former Irish champion knew it would be tough against England's Naomi Edwards, and so it turned out to be.

It was neck and neck on the outward half and they turned for home all square.

But then Edwards, from Ganton, gradually wrested the initiative, winning the short 10th after Coughlan failed to make the green, and taking the 12th also.

It was still two up to Edwards with three holes to play and she closed out the match with a win at the 16th.

The number one seed, Azahara Munoz from Spain, was shocked by the 64th qualifier, Stacy Bregman from Johannesburg, who posted a six-birdie barrage en route to a 2 and 1 win.

Bregman showed it was no fluke by reaching the last 16 with a 4 and 2 win over Malene Jorgensen from Denmark.