Warrenpoint's Colm Campbell believes he is ready to return to international duty after battling his way into the last 16 of the AIG Irish Amateur Close at Ballybunion.

The former East of Ireland and Irish Amateur Open winner had to use all his experience to beat Castle duo Peter McKeever and Robert Moran to set up a third-round clash with Dundalk's Eoin Murphy.

And after only returning to the domestic scene this season after missing all of last year with a hand injury, he reckons he's shown that he's ready to make a comeback in next month's Home Internationals at Lahinch.

"I had a couple of sticky games there today playing two Castle players, Peter McKeever and Robert Moran," said Campbell, who won both games inside the distance in winds gusting up to 50mph.

"It was real tough conditions, wet and windy. Getting anywhere around the green was a good shot on 10, 11 and 12."

He lies third in the Bridgestone Order of Merit ahead of next week's final counting Mullingar Scratch Trophy and believes he's made a good case for selection with the top three points-winners earning automatic call ups for Lahinch.

"I think I've proven myself since I came back from injury with a win at the Ulster Stroke Play and a third at the East, quarter finals at the North," he said.

"It was a matter of getting my confidence up and playing good golf. Thankfully I'm starting to do that again.

I think I’ve proven myself since I came back from injury with a win at the Ulster Stroke Play and a third at the East, quarter finals at the North.

 “It’s good just to be playing again. At one stage during that injury, I didn’t think I was going to lift a golf club."

The conditions proved no impediment to leading qualifier Ronan Mullarney from Galway who admitted he had to rely on some old fashioned "ground hurling" to earn a showdown with Mountrath's Niall Hearns for a place in this afternoon's quarter-finals.

"This afternoon was ground hurling," joked Mullarney, who beat Co Sligo's Ruairi O'Connor 6&5 before conditions deteriorated further and he had to dig deep to see off the combative Marc Boucher from Carton House 4&3.

"It was really tough this afternoon. I was blown off a lot of shots. It was a good test.

"I'm from Galway; I'm used to that ground hurling. I've played it enough times.

"The wind was really strong this afternoon. I had 155 yards on the 11th, and I hit three iron. 155 is an eight iron. Now I only chipped a three iron but anything that gets up, goes up."

While Naas' Robert Brazill remains on track for a win that would seal the Bridgestone Order of Merit, Ardee's Evan Farrell handed Douglas international Peter O'Keeffe a 5&4 first-round defeat before going on to beat Mullingar's Liam Grehan 6&5.

Farrell now faces Dun Laoghaire's Alan Fahy, who knocked out newly crowned South of Ireland champion Sean Desmond by two holes.

Co Sligo's Sean Flanagan will face his club mate TJ Ford looking to build on his run to the semi-finals of the "South" while Edward Stack carries Ballybunion hopes into the last 16 following wins over Gerard Dunne and Matt McClean and now takes on Royal Dublin's Richard Knightly, who edged out Grange’s John McCarthy on the 19th.

The winner will face Elm Park's Charlie Denvir or Fota Island's Greg O'Mahony while in the bottom half of the draw, Farrell, Evans, Campbell and Murphy will be eager to see who comes out on top between Kinsale's Cathal Butler and the former South of Ireland winner Stephen Walsh, now playing out of Portmarnock.

Brazill beat Hilton Templepatrick's Reece Black and Fortwilliam's Hugh O'Hare in tight encounters and now faces Oughterard's Devin Morley for the chance to take on Butler or Walsh in the last eight.

AIG Irish Amateur Close, Ballybunion GC

Third round - August 6

1. 0800 R Mullarney v N Hearns;

2. 0810 TJ Ford v S Flanagan;

3. 0820 R Knightly v E Stack;

4. 0830 G O'Mahony v C Denvir;

5. 0840 C Butler v S Walsh;

6. 0850 D Morley v R Brazill;

7. 0900 C Campbell v E Murphy;

8. 0910 A Fahy v E Farrell.
   
   

Second round - August 5

R Mullarney bt M Boucher 4&3;

N Hearns bt H Duggan 2&1;

TJ Ford bt K Murphy 3&1;

S Flanagan bt P Murphy 2&1;

R Knightly bt J McCarthy 19th;

E Stack bt M McClean 1 hole;

G O'Mahony bt J Fox 2&1;

C Denvir bt J Doherty 2&1;

C Butler bt C Ryan 3&1;

S Walsh bt S Hogan 4&2;

D Morley bt E Griffin 1 hole;

R Brazill bt H O'Hare 1 hole;

C Campbell bt R Moran 3&1;

E Murphy bt K Stack 4&3;

A Fahy bt D Brady 3&2;

E Farrell bt L Grehan 6&5

First round - August 5

R Mullarney (Galway) bt R O'Connor (Co. Sligo) 6&5;

M Boucher (Carton House) bt A Lowry (Esker Hills) 4&2;

N Hearns (Mountrath) bt C Nolan (Galway) 6&4;

H Duggan (Kilkenny) bt P Sheehan (Ballybunion) 2&1;

TJ Ford (Co. Sligo) bt H Gillivan (Westport) 1 hole;

K Murphy (Dun Laoghaire) bt J Murphy (Kinsale) 2&1;

S Flanagan (Portmarnock) bt M Deasy 2&1;

P Murphy (Rosslare) bt J Sutherland (Galgorm Castle) 2 holes;

R Knightly (Royal Dublin) bt R Williamson (Holywood) 1 hole;

J McCarthy (Grange) bt C Woodroofe (Dun Laoghaire) 4&2;

E Stack (Ballybunion) bt G Dunne (Co. Louth) 4&3;

M McClean (Malone) bt P Conroy (Enniscorthy) 5&4;

J Fox (Portmarnock) bt J Blake (The Island) 1 hole;

G O'Mahony (Fota Island) bt W Russell (Clandeboye) 1 hole;

C Denvir (Elm Park) bt E O'Brien (Clontarf) 1 hole;

J Doherty (Carton House) bt C Byrne (Woodbrook) 2&1;

C Ryan (Dun Laoghaire) bt E Leonard (Killiney) 3&2;

C Butler (Kinsale) bt J Hood (Galgorm Castle) 1 hole;

S Hogan (Nenagh) bt A McCormack (Castletroy) 2&1;

S Walsh (Portmarnock) bt L Nolan (Galway) 2&1;

D Morley (Oughterard) bt P Coughlan (Castleknock) 2&1;

E Griffin (Waterford) bt D Coyle (Portmarnock) 3&1;

H O'Hare (Fortwilliam) bt A Doran (Co. Louth) 1 hole;

R Brazill (Naas) bt R Black (Hilton Templepatrick) 3&2;

C Campbell (Warrenpoint) bt P McKeever (Castle) 3&2;

R Moran (Castle) bt J Lyons (Galway) 19th;

K Stack (Dungarvan) bt P Murray (Clontarf) 3&2;

E Murphy (Dundalk) bt W Small (Tandragee) 21st;

A Fahy (Dun Laoghaire) bt S Desmond (Monsktown) 2 holes;

D Brady (Co. Sligo) bt B Best (Rathmore) 6&5;

E Farrell (Ardee) bt P O'Keeffe (Douglas) 5&4;

L Grehan (Mullingar) bt R Galligan (Elm Park) 4&3.