Marsh in superb form Down Under

Marsh, who is the reigning English Amateur champion and was Sportsman of the Year at the Halifax Courier awards last November, finished on eight-under par.

That put him one shot clear of Australian national squad members Ryan Ruffels and Cam Davis.

Former Lightcliffe and Elland club member Marsh, now playing out of Huddersfield, will be joined in the matchplay stages by fellow England Golf representatives Ben Stow and Paul Howard.

Marsh claimed his medallist honours with scoring which included 10 birdies and an eagle over the two rounds, the first at The Lakes and the second at The Australian Golf Club.

He said; “In matchplay you’ve got to make birdies, so I tried to do that today to be ready for tomorrow.

“I played all right, drove the ball much better and hit it quite close on the front nine. It was a steady round.

“It shows I’m in good form, but you never know in matchplay – I’m really looking forward to it.”

Stow, the English stroke play champion from Rushmore, Wiltshire, qualified in 11th place after shooting a superb seven-under 65 in the second round, the joint low-score of the day.

Howard fought back back after an opening 78 with a three-under 69 to qualify with a shot to spare. Howard, from Southport & Ainsdale, Lancashire, won the 2014 South American Amateur.