By Brian Keogh

Baltray's Val Smyth a fired a super 69 to take a six-shot lead into the final round of the Irish Seniors Amateur Open Championship at the Hermitage.

Smyth, who lost to Philip Walton in the final of the Irish Close Championship at Woodbrook in 1982, leads on 144 from English pair David Lane and Stuart Pond.

Castlerock's Donald McCart is the next best of the Irish contenders on 151 after a 74 with Clandeboye's Brian Mills a short further back in a share of fifth place on 152 after a 79.

After 36 Holes
(Qualifiers)
144 V Smyth (Co Louth) 69 75
150 D Lane (England) 75 75, S Pond (England) 72 78
151 D McCart (Castlerock) 77 74
152 J Johnston (Scotland) 77 75, B Mills (Clandeboye) 73 79
153 T Higgins (Sutton) 81 72, S Bell (U.S.A.) 79 74, B Burke (Moate) 78 75, C Hurst
(London) 76 77, B Grieve (Scotland) 75 78, R Mason (Old Conna) 74 79, N Duke (Killiney)
72 81
154 H Donnelly (South County) 82 72, J Anderson (England) 79 75, M Coote (Tralee) 78
76, S King (England) 77 77, S McParland (Greenore) 77 77, B Berney (England) 75 79
155 D Murphy (Canada) 81 74, T Goode (Lucan) 79 76, P Cowley (Cork) 77 78, B Edgar
(Scotland) 77 78, M Eager (Lucan) 76 79, R Smethurst (England) 75 80
156 J Moyna (Rossmore) 79 77, R Berry (Rossmore) 79 77, G Rodaks (Scotland) 79 77, N
Patterson (Milltown) 77 79, A K Pirie (Scotland) 77 79
157 S Hosty (Galway) 80 77, S Sander (U.S.A.) 80 77, J Annett (Kilkeel) 79 78, J Cuffe
(Monkstown) 78 79, M Kelly (Killeen) 77 80, P Walshe (Royal Dublin) 77 80
158 S Coyne (Killarney) 84 74, A Cajstedt (Sweden) 83 75, R McLellan (Scotland) 81 77,
P Posnett (Shandon Park) 79 79, M Morris (Portmarnock) 79 79, H Mackeown (Portmarnock)
78 80, G O'Keeffe (Waterford) 75 83
159 M Galvin (Limerick) 85 74, G MacDonald (Scotland) 80 79, E Connolly (Blainroe) 80
79, R Stewart (Scotland) 80 79, G Steel (England) 79 80,
J Hubbard (England) 77 82
160 J Cecchini (U.S.A.) 86 74, L Gort (Isle of Man) 84 76

Non-qualifiers
160 J Nash (England) 83 77, D Harte (Fota Island) 83 77, F Murray (Hermitage) 82 78, R
Murphy (Arklow) 82 78, M Foley (Faithlegg) 81 79,
D Bentham (England) 78 82, J Baldwin (U.S.A.) 78 82, M McNally (Kilternan) 76 84
161 J Smyth (Kilrush) 85 76, G McGee (Scotland) 82 79, S Baker (England) 81 80, D
Valdez (U.S.A.) 80 81, J Hackman (Greystones) 80 81, R Cotter (Delgany) 80 81, N Gorry
(England) 78 83, J Kirwan (England) 78 83, A Smith (Blainroe) 78 83
162 D White (Moate) 87 75, G King (England) 83 79, P McParland (Greenore) 83 79, D
Jackson (Clandeboye) 82 80, T Hayes (K Club) 82 80,
P Gormley (Greystones) 81 81, J Kinloch (Scotland) 79 83, J Moloughney (Templemore) 79
83, C Moir (England) 78 84
163 G Finn (Cork) 84 79, R Urs (Switzerland) 84 79, T Boylan (Naas) 83 80, K O'Flaherty
(Naas) 83 80, R Gill (England) 80 83, G Rees (England) 80 83, S McBurney (Massereene) 79
84, B Griffiths (England) 78 85
164 P O'Brien (L'town & B'town) 85 79, P Harrington (Muskerry) 84 80, D Cash (Rosslare)
83 81, D Eccleston (England) 81 83, T McLean (U.S.A.) 81 83, B Clarke (England) 78 86, N
Swenson (U.S.A.) 78 86
165 M Temple (U.S.A.) 86 79, L Isaksson (Sweden) 85 80, N Ryan (Naas) 83 82, I Meneely
(Royal Portrush) 82 83, I Stewart (Curragh) 81 84
166 T McNeill (Moyola Park) 85 81, A Cameron (Scotland) 84 82, J Thomas (England) 84
82, M Bund (U.S.A.) 84 82
167 B Lager (Sweden) 90 77, T Lilly (Slade Valley) 88 79, N Hilliard (England) 85 82, M
Gaffney (Waterford) 85 82, P Cerantola (Switzerland) 84 83,
T Fox (Co Louth) 83 84, A Lee (Mullingar) 83 84
168 M Butler (Thurles) 89 79, T Lewandowski (U.S.A.) 87 81, J Gilhooly (Edmondstown) 87
81, T Lount (England) 85 83, W Leggett (The Island) 84 84, W Mernagh (Kanturk) 82 86
169 A Williams (Sutton) 86 83, L Kipps (Canada) 83 86
170 B Eriksson (Sweden) 91 79, P Kinloch (Scotland) 86 84, F McCarroll (North West) 85
85, L Murray (Mourne) 85 85
171 P Hautz (Delgany) 90 81, D Judge (Greystones) 88 83, I Stungo (England) 86 85, R
McDonnell (Co Louth) 83 88
172 R Wallace (Spa) 83 89
173 P O'Connor (Slieve Russell) 89 84
174 T Semple (Thurles) 85 89
176 J Loeb (U.S.A.) 92 84
177 J Chambers (England) 86 91
179 G Browne (England) 91 88, R Berwick (England) 86 93
180 W Erwin (U.S.A.) 99 81
181 D Cassell (U.S.A.) 94 87
NR P McBride (Co Armagh) 90 NR, B Methven (Scotland) 81 NR, G Keane (England) 85 NR, P
Morgan (Co Sligo) 87 NR, G Parkhill (Carrickfergus) 83 NR, K Hardiman (Canada) 86 NR
DQ B Kissock (Bangor) 82 DQ
WD I Morris (Limerick) 87 WD, R DeLacy Staunton (Castlerea) 86 WD, E Condren
(Greystones) 86 WD, A Pierse (Tipperary) 78 77, J Clynch (L'town & B'town) 82 75, K
Stevenson (Warrenpoint) 78 81