Johnston sails through

Liam Johnston enjoyed a thumping win in the opening round of the Boys' Amateur championship at Barassie yesterday.

The 17-year-old Dumfries & County member swept to an impressive 6&5 success over Italian teenager Domenico Geminiani, who became the youngest player, at 14, to compete on the European Tour back in May.

Johnston, who was five up after six holes, has good memories of Barassie having won an SGU Junior Tour event there in June. His recent run to the quarter-finals of the Scottish Amateur championship at Gullane has also increased his confidence.

Pollok's Conor O'Neil, runner-up to Johnston in that Junior Tour event and second in last month's Scottish Boys' Strokeplay championship, edged into the last 32 with a 19th-hole win over Sheffield's Matthew Fitzpatrick.

Scott Gibson of Southerness was also forced down extra holes and finally staved off Italian opponent Filippo Zucchetti at the 20th.

Ewan Scott, the former English Open Under-14 champion from St Andrews, won the 17th and 18th to record a two-hole win over Derbyshire's Craig Young, but West Linton's Fraser Thain was the sole Scottish casualty as he went down 6&4 to Michael Decker of the US.