Gleeson two clear at Esker Hills
Alex Gleeson. Picture: Thos Caffrey / www.golffile.ie

Alex Gleeson. Picture: Thos Caffrey / www.golffile.ie

Castle's Alex Gleeson fired a best of the day 68 to take two-stroke lead into the last two rounds of the Sigma Wireless sponsored  Leinster Youths Amateur Open at Esker Hills.

Out in one under after following birdies at the first and sixth with a bogey on the ninth, he started strongly on the back nine with birdies at the 10th, 11th and 12th before a bogey at the 15th forced him to settle for a three under round.

Round two photo gallery

Gleeson leads by two shots on one- under 141 from overnight leader Matthew McClean from Balmoral, who carded a 74 .

Milltown's Liam Harnett (70) and Newlands' Jake Whelan (74) are just three shots off the pace on two over but local favourite Alan Lowry has a lot of work to do after a 78 left him nine shots off the pace on eight over.

Leinster Youths Amateur Open (sponsored by Sigma Wireless)

Esker Hills (Par 71 SSS 71 CSS 73)

Qualifiers

141 Alex Gleeson (Castle) 73 68

143 Matthew McClean (Balmoral) 69 74

144 Liam Harnett (Milltown) 74 70 , Jake Whelan (Newlands) 70 74

145 Ryan McKinstry (Cairndhu) 73 72

147 Matthew Kane (Whitehead) 74 73 , Conor Coyne (Youghal) 71 76

148 Ryan Long (Cairndhu) 76 72 , Paul McCarthy (Mallow) 75 73 , Marc Nolan (Delgany) 75 73

149 Gary Ward (Kinsale) 76 73 , Matthew McGowan (Ballybofey & Stranorlar) 76 73 , Daniel Cosgrove (Kilcock) 76 73 , Stephen Kinch (Hollystown) 74 75

150 Stephen Watts (Cairndhu) 78 72 , Alan Lowry (Esker Hills) 72 78

151 Tommy O'Driscoll (Ring Of Kerry) 76 75 , Dan Hinds (City of Derry) 76 75 , Ronan Mullarney (Galway) 74 77

152 Rob Brazill (Naas) 82 70 , Niall Foley (The Island) 77 75 , David Foy (Laytown & Bettystown) 77 75 , Paul Kelly (Glasson) 77 75 , Marc McKinstry (Cairndhu) 76 76 , Ross Dutton (Tandragee) 75 77

153 Harry Scott (Castle) 81 72 , Evan Farrell (Ardee) 80 73 , Sean Maloney (Dunmurry Springs) 79 74 , Kieran Lynch (Skibbereen & West Carbery) 77 76 , Eoin Kelly (Co. Meath) 77 76 , Robbie Pierse (Grange) 77 76 , Keagan Cummings (Elm Park) 77 76 , Mark Kerrigan (Old Conna) 76 77 , Lee O'Meara (Castle Barna) 76 77 , Iain Collins (Bray) 75 78

154 Dominic Pollock (Belvoir Park) 80 74 , Eoghan O'Donovan (Craddockstown) 79 75 , Jack McDonnell (Forrest Little.) 77 77 , Jack Blake (Forrest Little.) 77 77 , Cameron Raymond (Newlands) 75 79 , Marc Boucher (Carton House) 74 80

155 Michael Abram (Cairndhu) 81 74

Non Qualifiers

155 Andrew Magee (Powerscourt) 80 75 , Gareth Mann (Tullamore) 79 76 , Christopher Morgan (Dunmurry) 78 77 , Luke Robinson (Bundoran) 77 78 , Jordan Hood (Galgorm Castle) 75 80 , John Cleary (Elm Park) 73 82

156 Mark Power (Kilkenny) 81 75 , Keith Murphy (Charlesland) 81 75

157 Alastair McQuillan (Cushendall) 80 77 , Dean Cafferty (Carton House) 80 77 , Cathal Butler (Kinsale) 78 79 , Eoin J O'Brien (Clontarf) 77 80

158 Daniel O'Connor (Athlone) 80 78 , Gareth Carr (Mullingar) 78 80 , Conor Harte (Castle) 77 81, Rory Williamson (Holywood) 74 84

159 Stephen McCarthy (Black Bush) 82 77 , Eric Byrne (Birr) 82 77 , Conor Slevin (New Forest) 81 78 , Darragh Fitzgerald (Limerick) 80 79

160 Eoghan Collins (Laytown & Bettystown) 81 79 , Daire Creavin (Killeen Castle) 78 82 , Blane Lynch (Ballinrobe) 75 85

161 James Lindsay (North West) 83 78 , Adam Kerr (Loughgall) 80 81 , Robert Browne (Castle) 80 81

162 Jason Conway (Donegal) 83 79 , Jack Solan (Rathsallagh) 81 81 , Luke Cummins (West Waterford) 80 82 , Peter Henry (Fintona) 77 85

163 Barry Fitzpatrick (Castle) 86 77 , Sean Cummins (Westmanstown) 86 77 , Max Thallon (Bangor) 86 77 , Jack Doherty (Westmanstown) 85 78 , Declan Kelly (Hermitage) 81 82 , Craig Melvin (Corrstown) 81 82

164 Colin Woodroofe (Blainroe) 86 78 , Mike Manweiler - Quinn (Bray) 85 79 , Eoin Cantwell (Kilkenny) 83 81 , Oisin Devereux (Carton House) 82 82 , Dylan Brophy (Castleknock) 82 82

165 Sean O'Connor (Carton House) 81 84

167 Jamie Foley (Letterkenny) 85 82 , Alex Doyle (Bray) 84 83

168 David Travers (Carton House) 90 78 , Edward Kennedy (Woodbrook) 82 86

169 Darragh Hogan (Killeen Castle) 82 87

171 Gavin Fitzmaurice (Balcarrick) 84 87

175 Eoghan McKeever (Castle) 85 90

177 Sean Lane (Mitchelstown) 87 90

178 Ronan Hall (United Arab Emirates) 88 90

181 Gerard MacNamara (Portmarnock) 91 90

DQ/WD Peter McKeever (Castle) 78 DQ , Jonathan Yates (Naas) 87 DQ , Cian Dullaghan (Greenore) 79 WD , Darragh Conlon (Athenry) 81 WD , Dan Cummins (Co. Meath) 89 WD , Louis O'Hara (Athenry) DQ DQ ,  Alec Myles (Newlands) DQ DQ