Simon Ward (Co Louth) and Muskerry’s Niall Gorey, a member of the Munster team that won last week’s Interprovincial Championship at Royal Co Down, yesterday came through two testing encounters in the South of Ireland at Lahinch to set up a mouth-watering 5th round clash this morning.

The Irish duo of Shane Lowry and Peter Lawrie are now fighting for one of the last remaining places into next week’s British Open after posting similar scores for similar second round totals in the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart.

ALAN DUNBAR stepped up his bid for a place in the Walker Cup team to face the Americans at Aberdeen next month when he fired a splendid opening 68 — four under par — in the European Amateur Individual Championship in Sweden yesterday.

Ralph Fiennes' week took a turn for the better yesterday when the newly-dumped star of The Constant Gardener picked up a Best British Actor nod at the London Film Critics' Circle awards, while co-star Rachel Weisz triumphed in the female category.

Popular The Return of the King failed to clinch a single gong at an awards ceremony voted for by film critics tonight.