McIlroy five clear at half-way

European Amateur: Rory McIlroy opened a five-shot gap after the second round of the European Amateur Championship at Biella GC in Italy yesterday.

The Irish champion added a second round 69 to his opening 65 for a 36-holes total of 12-under-par 134, five clear of Italy's Lorenzo Gagli (68, 71) with Hugues Joanne of Belgium, alone in third place on 140 after a second round 69.

The English trio of Jamie Mould, Paul Waring and James Morrison are in a group of 10 at five-under-par 141 sharing fourth place.

Darren Crowe is a shot further back on 142 after a 72, with Shane Lowry also in the top 50 after a 73 left him on 146.

Aaron O'Callaghan slipped back with a second round 76 for 147 while Gareth Shaw is on the same mark after shooting a second round 71.

WOMEN'S AMATEUR: Ireland's Tricia Mangan mastered the conditions of non-stop rain to move to within one shot of the leader, Yorkshire's Rachel Bell, in the British Women's Amateur Championship at Prince's Golf Club, Sandwich in Kent yesterday.

Mangan added a second 74 for a halfway total of 148, one behind Bell, who added a 73 to her first round 74.

The bad weather transformed the leaderboard. Overnight leader Rachel Newren from Salt Lake City, Utah, was washed away to an 84, 14 shots worse than her leading 70 on the opening day.

Six Irish players made the cut for the final 36 holes - Marian Riordan (Tipperary), Martina Gillen (Beaverstown), Maura Morrin (The Curragh), Deirdre Smith (Co Louth) and Niamh Kitching (Claremorris).

The bad weather also raised the anticipated half-way cut figure to 13-over-par 159 and allowed defending champion Heather MacRae (Scotland) to qualify for the final 36 holes when she had seemed out of contention.

Ireland, represented by Mangan, Gillen and Smith, won the team event on 303, one shot clear of Italy.

CHALLENGE TOUR: The Irish duo of Michael McGeady and Colm Moriarty opened their bids to win the ECCO Tour Championship in Denmark with a pair of solid one under par 69s at the Odense Golf Club.

Both men started their first rounds on the 10th tee, with McGeady putting together an eagle, a single birdie and two bogeys en route to his opening score, while Moriarty's up and down opening effort included five birdies and four dropped shots.

Sweden's Oskar Henningsson leads the way after an excellent seven-under-par 63 gave him a one-stroke advantage over the Argentine pair of Sebastian Fernandez and Hernan Rey, the Swedish pair of Andreas Högberg and Magnus Persson, and Denmark's Michael Jurgensen.