Doran collects silver medal

Banbridge 24-year-old Connor Doran collected the silver medal as leading qualifier in the Magners' North of Ireland Amateur Open Championship at Royal Portrush this evening.

Doran, the Munster Open champion, added a super 68 from the big Duncluce Course to his similar score on the shorter Valley track on Monday.

His total of 136 was a shot better than his club colleague Rory Leonard who went round Dunluce in 69 strokes.

Overnight leader and 1997 winner Michael Sinclair from the east Belfast club Knock shared 138 with Limerick's Cian McNamara and Robert Forsythe (Ballyclare) who emigrates to New Zealand later this year.

Doaran's four-under-par performance included five birdies with a dropped shot at the fourth hole where he got a bad lie off the tee.

He birdied the second from one foot and rolled in a 40-footer from just off the green at the seventh for another birdie.

On the back nine he got down from 10 feet for birdies at short holes 11 and 14 and added another from four feet at the par four 12th.

Former winner Stuart Paul from Tandragee who in the past 15 years never missed the cut failed to make the mark of 148 (six over) yesterday and another former titleholder Trevor Coulter (Massereene) also failed.

So did ex-international Michael Campbell from Stackstown