Kinsale's Gary Ward shot a best of the day 71 to snatch a share of the lead in the Titleist sponsored Leinster Boys Amateur Open at Balcarrick.

Ward had six birdies in his two under effort to share the lead on one under 145 with Ballyhaunis's  Andrew Hickey, who had three birdies in a fine 72.

They lead by a stroke from Dubai prodigy Rayhan Thomas, 15, who went out in 41 but stormed home in three under 34 with three birdies and no dropped shots for a battling 75.

Wentworth's Eoin Leonard, the 2013 champion who is off to Yale University in the autumn, climbed to tied fourth on one over 147 alongside Rosslare's John Brady (76) after a 73.

County Louth's Thomas Mulligan  added a 74 to his first round 80 to make the eight over cut on the mark. But while the Island's Kevin LeBlanc followed his opening 83 with a 73, he failed to make the top 51 by two shots.

Dubai visitor Thomas has also entered the Mullingar Electrical Scratch Trophy at Mullingar Golf Club on Sunday and Monday next.

Leinster Boys Amateur Open, Balcarrick (Par 73)

Tee-times rounds 3 and 4 (shotgun at 08.30. Order of play remains the same for Round 4 with tee times commencing at 1:30pm.)

• Hole 1 Eoin Leonard (-1) Wentworth Golf Club John Brady (1) Rosslare Alan Fahy (0) Bray
• Hole 1a Gary Ward (2) Kinsale Andrew Hickey (2) Ballyhaunis Golf Club Rayhan Thomas (-3) Dubai
• Hole 2 Michael Ryan (-1) New Ross Golf Club Hugh O'Hare (1) Fortwilliam Mark Power (0) Kilkenny Golf Club
• Hole 3 Reece Black (2) Hilton Templepatrick Golf Club T J Ford (2) Co. Sligo Eric Doran (3) Palmerstown Stud
• Hole 4 Liam Whelan (4) Mount Wolseley Benedict Cronin (3) Muskerry Golf Club Jack Doherty (2) Carton House
• Hole 5 Reserved Reserved Reserved
• Hole 6 Marc Norton (1) Belvoir Park John Murphy (1) Kinsale Mark Healy (3) Kinsale
• Hole 7 Reserved Reserved Reserved
• Hole 8 Reserved Reserved Reserved
• Hole 9 Paul Kelly (3) Glasson Golf Club Ciaran Smyth (4) Greenore Golf Club Marc Boucher (0) Carton House
• Hole 9a Kevin Power (2) Kilkenny Golf Club Michael Shiel (3) Athenry Ben Graham (3) Scrabo Golf Club
• Hole 10 Reserved Reserved Reserved
• Hole 11 Owen Crooks (0) Bushfoot Joseph O Neill (3) Tralee Golf Club Gavin Fitzmaurice (-0) Balcarrick
• Hole 11a Adam McCormick (3) Scrabo Golf Club Brendan Rossiter (2) Rosslare Charlie Mc Donnell (2) Castleblayney
• Hole 12 Reserved Reserved Reserved
• Hole 13 Conor Kavanagh (3) Newbridge Golf Club Darragh Smith (1) Castle Barry Fitzpatrick (2) Castle
• Hole 13a Declan Kelly (2) Hermitage Peter Kerr (-0) Royal Portrush Jack Hearn (2) Tramore
• Hole 14 Reserved Reserved Reserved
• Hole 15 Luke Cummins (2) West Waterford Jordan Logue (3) Hilton Templepatrick Golf Club Michael Joseph Kennelly (3) Athenry
• Hole 15a Peter Cummins (1) Lurgan Golf Club Robert Nevin (2) Headfort Aaron Ryan (2) Thurles
• Hole 16 Nathan McCann (3) Lurgan Golf Club Brian Crowdle (1) Kilkenny Golf Club David McAleenon (0) Lisburn
• Hole 17 Thomas Mulligan (-2) Co. Louth Conor Rice (5) Athlone Bill Hannan (3) Carton House
• Hole 18 Oisin Devereux (2) Carton House Henry Clark (2) Shandon Park Sean Doyle (1) Athlone

Detailed scores

After 36 holes (CSS 74)

Qualifiers

145 Gary Ward (Kinsale) 74 71 , Andrew Hickey (Ballyhaunis Golf Club) 73 72  

146 Rayhan Thomas (Dubai) 71 75  

147 Eoin Leonard (Wentworth Golf Club) 74 73 , John Brady (Rosslare) 71 76  

148 Alan Fahy (Bray) 73 75 , Michael Ryan (New Ross Golf Club) 73 75 , Hugh O'Hare (Fortwilliam) 73 75 , Mark Power (Kilkenny Golf Club) 71 77  

149 Reece Black (Hilton Templepatrick Golf Club) 76 73 , T J Ford (Co. Sligo) 73 76 , Eric Doran (Palmerstown Stud) 73 76 , Liam Whelan (Mount Wolseley) 72 77  

150 Benedict Cronin (Muskerry Golf Club) 74 76 , Jack Doherty (Carton House) 74 76 , Marc Norton (Belvoir Park) 74 76 , John Murphy (Kinsale) 71 79  

151 Mark Healy (Kinsale) 80 71 , Paul Kelly (Glasson Golf Club) 79 72 , Ciaran Smyth (Greenore Golf Club) 79 72 , Marc Boucher (Carton House) 78 73 , Kevin Power (Kilkenny Golf Club) 78 73 , Michael Shiel (Athenry) 75 76 , Ben Graham (Scrabo Golf Club) 75 76 , Owen Crooks (Bushfoot) 75 76 , Joseph O Neill (Tralee Golf Club) 73 78  

152 Gavin Fitzmaurice (Balcarrick) 78 74 , Adam McCormick (Scrabo Golf Club) 76 76 , Brendan Rossiter (Rosslare) 76 76 , Charlie Mc Donnell (Castleblayney) 76 76 , Conor Kavanagh (Newbridge Golf Club) 75 77  

153 Darragh Smith (Castle) 82 71 , Barry Fitzpatrick (Castle) 80 73 , Declan Kelly (Hermitage) 79 74 , Peter Kerr (Royal Portrush) 79 74 , Jack Hearn (Tramore) 78 75 , Luke Cummins (West Waterford) 77 76 , Jordan Logue (Hilton Templepatrick Golf Club) 76 77 , Michael Joseph Kennelly (Athenry) 76 77 , Peter Cummins (Lurgan Golf Club) 74 79 , Robert Nevin (Headfort) 74 79 , Aaron Ryan (Thurles) 74 79 , Nathan McCann (Lurgan Golf Club) 73 80  

154 Brian Crowdle (Kilkenny Golf Club) 81 73 , David McAleenon (Lisburn) 81 73 , Thomas Mulligan (Co. Louth) 80 74 , Conor Rice (Athlone) 79 75 , Bill Hannan (Carton House) 79 75 , Oisin Devereux (Carton House) 78 76 , Henry Clark (Shandon Park) 77 77 , Sean Doyle (Athlone) 77 77

Non-qualifiers

154 Darragh Monaghan (Walton Heath Golf Club) 77 77 , Alex Murray (The Island) 77 77 , Luke Donnelly (Kilkenny Golf Club) 76 78 , Michael Young (France) 74 80  

155 Cian Feeney (Co. Sligo) 83 72 , Aaron Bagnall (Millicent Golf Club) 81 74 , David Clince (Craddockstown) 80 75 , Matthew Fitzsimons (Ardglass Golf Club) 79 76 , Gareth Carr (Mullingar) 78 77 , Ross John O'Toole (Newbridge Golf Club) 77 78 , Stephen Kelliher (Killarney Golf Club) 77 78 , Mark Doogue (Baltinglass Golf Club) 75 80  

156 Kevin Le Blanc (The Island) 83 73 , Conor Mooney (Black Bush) 79 77 , Harry Duggan (Kilkenny Golf Club) 79 77 , Cillian Moloney (Fota Island) 78 78 , Patrick Brennan (Belvoir Park) 78 78 , Darragh Herlihy (West Waterford) 78 78 , Joseph Hanney (The Island) 78 78 , Cameron Raymond (Newlands) 78 78  

157 A.J. McCabe (Malahide Golf Club) 82 75 , Charlie Denvir (Powerscourt) 81 76 , Gabriel Gribben (Fortwilliam) 79 78 , Paddy Culhane (Galway Golf Club) 78 79 , Shane Hogan (The Heritage) 77 80  

158 Ward Farrell (Dunmurry) 83 75 , Matthew Grehan (Tullamore) 83 75 , Cian Commins (Ardee) 81 77 , Hugh Foley (The Royal Dublin) 80 78 , Jack McGarry (Rosslare) 80 78 , Paul Murphy (Rosslare) 78 80 , Ryan Corry (Clandeboye) 76 82 , Conor Keown (Greystones) 76 82  

159 Robert Browne (Castle) 86 73 , Oisin Fitzgerald (Tralee Golf Club) 83 76 , Eamonn O'Driscoll (Killarney Golf Club) 83 76 , Conor Hynds (Ardglass Golf Club) 82 77 , David Brady (Co. Sligo) 81 78  

160 James Cronin (Woodbrook) 83 77 , Stewart McCaw (Royal Belfast Golf Club) 83 77 , Conor Glennon (Glasson Golf Club) 82 78 , Jake Vickers (Balbriggan) 82 78 , John Bolger (Courtown) 81 79 , Robert Moran (Castle) 80 80 , Conor Roche (Mallow) 79 81 , David Burns (Cushendall Golf Club) 78 82 , Louis O'Hara (Athenry) 75 85  

161 George Morgan (Grange) 83 78 , Jack Johnston (Clandeboye) 83 78 , Michael Mc Gurk (Warrenpoint) 83 78 , Eoin Conway (West Waterford) 81 80 , Jamie Byrne (Mount Wolseley) 80 81 , Tommy Doran (Balbriggan) 77 84  

162 Ross Nelson (Belvoir Park) 83 79 , William Small (Tandragee Golf Club) 82 80 , Rory Murphy (Dun Laoghaire) 82 80 , William Eickholt (Portmarnock) 80 82 , Brendan O'Neill (Citywest Resort) 79 83 , Gareth Hogan (The Island) 78 84  

163 John Kerrisk (Killarney Golf Club) 85 78 , Ian Halpin (Cahir Park Golf Club) 84 79 , Zachariah Glynn (Bray) 84 79 , James Temple (Portmarnock) 83 80 , Daragh Coleman (Skerries) 82 81 , Sean Dunne (The Royal Dublin) 82 81 , Glenn Fry (Carrickmines Golf Club) 81 82  

164 Peter Rolston (Shandon Park) 85 79 , Spencer Adamson (K Club) 82 82 , Michael O Farrell (Galway Golf Club) 82 82  

165 Rory Hill (Tralee Golf Club) 86 79 , John Corbett Jnr (Thurles) 86 79 , Marc McCormack (Ashbourne) 84 81 , Brian Jnr Fehily (Newlands) 82 83 , Matthew Keane (Beaverstown Golf Club) 82 83  

166 Sean Kestell (Charlesland) 86 80 , Chris Black (Dunmurry) 86 80  

167 Jack Brophy (The Royal Dublin) 85 82 , Callum Slater (Headfort) 85 82 , Daniel McNally (Carton House) 83 84  

168 Cillian Hughes (Courtown) 85 83 , Seán Dowling (Beaverstown Golf Club) 85 83 , Seán Dodd (St. Anne's) 84 84  

169 Tom Groves (The Royal Dublin) 86 83 , Liam Jnr Jennings (Balmoral) 81 88  

172 Ciaran Henry (Strandhill Golf Club) 86 86 , Campbell Rodgers (Royal Portrush) 86 86 , Cian McCormack (Ashbourne) 83 89  

173 Sean Breheny (St. Anne's) 85 88 , Andrew Mays (Portmarnock) 85 88 , Caolan Murphy (Greenore Golf Club) 83 90  

175 Darren Cotter (Castletroy Golf Club) 88 87 , Conor Wynne (Co. Sligo) 84 91  

178 David Tyrrell (Newlands) 85 93 , Eoin Aherne (Mallow) 78 100  

DQ/WD Ronan Whelan (New Ross Golf Club) DQ , Lee Birrell (Newbridge Golf Club) DQ , Eanna Melville (Gort Golf Club) DQ , Daniel Molloy (Castle Barna) 88 WD , Sam Lewis (Greystones) NR WD