SANDY Stephen, the 1988 Scottish Champion, overcame the pre-qualifying

hurdle in style with a 73 at Nairn in yesterday's Clydesdale Bank

Northern Open. The former European Tour player shared the home-based

honours with Bathgate assistant Stuart Callan.

But the head of the leaderboard belonged to Englishman Chris Tingey.

An assistant at the Aldenham Club, near Watford, Tingey overcame the

breezy conditions with an impressive two under par 70, in which four

birdies in the first10 holes allowed him the luxury of a bogey, bogey,

par finish.

Over Nairn Dunbar, the course that hosts the #27,500 Championship

starting tomorrow, Gary Forbes and Frank Coutts made it a Deeside double

at the head of the list.

Forbes, the club assistant, posted the only sub-par score, a one under

70. In a 14 man play-off, the Englishmen Steve Spittles and Nigel

Scott-Smith birdied the first extra hole to earn the final two places at

Nairn. John Downie, who had travelled from Germany, was the unlucky

loser in a six way play-off for five places at Nairn Dunbar. Qualifiers:

NAIRN DUNBAR

70 -- G Forbes (Deeside).

71 -- F Coutts (Deeside).

72 -- J Scott (Ralston), M Lees (Forres).

73 -- K Phillips (Winterfield), R Stewart (Cruden Bay), C Nelson

(Hazlehead), G McCrombie (Downfield).

74 -- G Philp (Fortrose and Rosemarkie), *P Lovie (Inverurie), K Kelly

(Baberton), G Law (Uphall), S Renfrew (West Kilbride), S Yates (Royal

Burgess), J Mellor (Worksop).

75 -- G Lister (Inverness), N Bland (Leicestershire), B Slorach

(Moray), C Fairweather (Ratho Park), S McGregor (Glasgow), G Vivers

(Inverness).

76 -- G Logan (Unatt), I Taylor (Strathclyde Park), D Ross (Royal

Aberdeen), S Dunsmore (Falkirk Tryst), G Niven (Royal Ostend), A Thomson

(Moray), C Bassett (Wath).

77 -- S Aird (Forres), K Nairn (Gleneagles), K Stevely (Cawder), M

McCrorie (Stathaven), *R Beames (Wick).

NAIRN

70 -- C Tingey (Aldenham).

73 -- S Stephen (Braid Hills), K Fairbairn (Goswick), S Callan

(Bathgate).

74 -- F Cromarty (Inverness), S Henderson (King's Links), S Savage

(Unatt), N Walton (Barnard Castle).

75 -- G Taylor (Newmachar), B Moffat (Unattached), R Arnott

(Strathclyde Park).

76 -- I Bratton (Cruden Bay), G Thomson (Largs), *C Dunan (Milngavie),

C Fraser (Unatt), B Reid (Turnberry Hotel).

77 -- *S Leith (Moray), G Reilly (Lochwinnoch), G Ross (Greenock), R

Aitken (Barassie), N Dunroe (Bull Bay), I Seath (Liberton), A Curry

(Miramar), D Honan (Stratford Oaks), S Craig (Dunfermline), C

Weatherhead (Chesterfield), K Campbell (Machrihanish), M McLaren

(Longniddry).

78 -- T Melville (Alyth), *I Buchan (Cruden Bay), S Campbell (Cochrane

Castle).

79 -- S Spittles (Wycombe Heights), N Scott-Smith (Dullatur).

* - denotes amateur.

* A GLANCE at the form guide suggests Catriona Lambert need only show

face this week at Royal Lytham and St Annes, and the British Women's

Amateur Championship will be hers, writes Karen Giles.

Silverware has swamped the Lambert household this summer. She may have

rejected the riches offered by the professional game, but Lambert has

quite a partiality for amateur prizes. The Spanish Amateur Championship,

Hermitage Classic, Scottish Championship, and St Rule Trophy have all

been plundered by her this season.

Still to grace the coffee table, however, is a British title, the most

coveted of which comes under the hammer this week. The leading 32

players after two rounds of stroke-play, will qualify for the

head-to-head starting on Thursday.