Dyson trying to get on a roll

Simon Dyson made slight progress in the second round of the St Omer Open today.

Trailing the overnight leader Kyron Sullivan by four strokes, he found it difficult to pick up shots early in the round.

Widely tipped to do well in this tournament in France, Dyson was hoping to set down a marker with the Welsh leader not out until later in the day.

His game picked up on the back nine and he moved to three under for the tournament, two shots adrift of the Welsh leader.

After starting at the 10th, Dyson reeled off six successive pars on a course noted for the amount of slope on its greens.

Then at the 16th he had to settle for a bogey, only to make amends with his first birdie of the day at the short 17th.

Dyson chalked up a par four at the 18th to go out in 35 and then picked up a shot at the first to move to two under.

He chalked up another birdie at the seventh to move a step closer to Sullivan.

Tom Whitehouse briefly moved up the leaderboard after picking up shots at the fifth, seventh and ninth holes.

That took him to three under, but he slipped back after a double-bogey six at the 12th.

However, after missing the cut in his last two events, Whitehouse would appear to have given himself a chance of staying for the weekend.

There was only disappointment, though, for Andrew Raitt who is attached to St Georges Hill.

After finishing with a level-par 71 on the opening day, he was disqualified this morning for missing his tee-time.