County Louth’s Thomas Mulligan and Royal Portrush’s Peter Kerr were the only Irish qualifiers for Thursday’s matchplay stages of the British Boys Amateur Championship at Royal Birkdale and Southport and Ainsdale.

Laytown and Bettystown's Thomas Mulligan closed with rounds of 68 and 74 to finish a fine third behind runaway winner Marco Penge in the Peter McEvoy Trophy at Copt Heath near Birmingham.

Hermitage's Rowan Lester produced some sensational golf to move into the quarterfinals of the British Boys Amateur Open Championship at Prestwick.

Hermitage's Rowan Lester cruised into the matchplay stages of the British Boys Amateur Championship when finished tied for third behind Scots Calum Fyfe and Christopher Curran in strokeplay qualifying at Prestwick and Dundonald Links.

Naas ace Rob Bazill is just two shots behind impressive English raider Laird Shepherd at the halfway stage of the Irish Boys Amateur Open Championship at Thurles.