Gillivan and Hill three clear in Mullingar Scratch Trophy

Joint leader Joshua Hill. Picture by Thos Caffrey/Golffile

Galgorm Castle’s Joshua Hill will have a chance to exact some revenge for his South of Ireland exit to Harry Gillivan after grabbing a share of the lead with the Westport talent heading into the final 36 holes of the Mullingar Scratch Trophy.

The Ballymena star (18) fired a 10-under 62 en route to leading the qualifiers at Lahinch and while he was beaten by Gillivan in the first round, they will go out together in the final group today in the 72-hole strokeplay classic sponsored by Sherry Fitzgerald/Davitt & Davitt and Pinergy.

Hill set the clubhouse target at eight-under par when he followed an opening 66 with a 70. But Gillivan matched his total by firing 11 birdies and three bogeys in a brace of four-under 68s to leave them three shots clear of Tandragee’s William Small, West of Ireland champion Alan Fahy from Bray, Connemara’s Luke O’Neill and young Faithlegg star Rory Milne.

Royal Dublin’s Max Kennedy followed a 74 with a best-of-the-afternoon 66 to share seventh with Portmarnock’s Brandon St John (73-67) on four-under as the cut for the top 51 fell at four-over par with two of the six players on that mark surviving.

Hill shared the first-round lead with Robbie Cannon, who slipped back to one-under-par after a second-round 77.

Defending champion Jake Whelan from Grange is 10 shots off the pace on two-over after following a 76 with a 70.

Mullingar Scratch Trophy sponsored by Sherry Fitzgerald Davitt & Davitt and Pinergy Mullingar GC (Par 72)

After 36 holes

Detailed scores

136 H Gillivan (Westport) 68 68, J Hill (Galgorm Castle) 66 70;

139 W Small (Tandragee) 71 68, A Fahy (Bray) 71 68, L O'Neill (Connemara) 70 69, R Milne (Faithlegg) 68 71;

140 M Kennedy (Royal Dublin) 74 66, B St. John (Portmarnock) 73 67;

141 A Hill (Roscommon) 72 69, G Dunne (Co. Louth) 71 70, T Ford (Co. Sligo) 70 71, I O'Connell (Castleknock) 70 71, J Rackard (Enniscorthy) 69 72, R Griffin (Ballybofey & Stranorlar GC) 69 72, Q Carew (Castleknock) 68 73;

142 P Conroy (Enniscorthy) 73 69, J Hewitt (Tandragee) 73 69, J Mc Donnell (Forrest Little) 70 72, C Harkin (Letterkenny) 69 73;

143 S Carroll (Ballybunion) 73 70, D Muldowney (Carton House) 73 70, L Abom (Edmondstown) 72 71, C Butler (Kinsale) 71 72, J Doherty (Carton House) 69 74, R Latimer (Clandeboye) 69 74, D Flynn (Carton House) 69 74, R Cannon (Balbriggan) 66 77;

144 J McCabe (Roganstown) 74 70, A Kiernan (Forrest Little) 72 72, S Desmond (Monkstown) 72 72, E Sullivan (Carton House) 72 72, J McCarthy (Grange) 72 72, S Cunningham (Esker Hills) 72 72;

145 R Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire) 76 69, D Kitt (Athenry) 75 70, T Higgins (Roscommon) 75 70, J Butler (Killeen) 74 71, T Dowdall (Woodbrook) 72 73, A Smith (Mullingar) 70 75;

146 J Whelan (Grange) 76 70, D O'Riordan (Fermoy) 74 72, P McGrath (Galway Bay) 74 72, P O'Hanlon (Carton House) 74 72, S O'Brien (Nenagh) 73 73;

147 C Hickey (Dooks) 76 71, M Cain (Cork) 73 74, A Grant (Dundalk) 73 74, D Morgan (Carton House) 71 76, D Reddan Jnr (Nenagh) 71 76;

148 M O Sullivan (Ballyneety) 76 72, M Boucher (Carton House) 76 72.

Missed cut

148 S O'Connell (Athenry) 74 74, S Walker (Roscommon) 73 75, A Kelly (New Forest) 72 76, R Knightly (Royal Dublin) 71 77;

149 S O Neill (Slieve Russell) 78 71, L Lynch (Naas) 76 73, T Abom (Edmondstown) 76 73, S McLoughlin (Co. Sligo) 74 75, A Marshall (Lisburn) 73 76, L Cunningham (Galway Bay) 73 76;

150 R Galligan (Elm Park) 78 72, C Ryan (Bray) 77 73, S Mc Dermott (Slieve Russell) 77 73, J Brimfield (Governors Club Chapel Hill NC USA) 75 75, S O'Rourke (Tulfarris) 75 75;

151 K Murphy (Arklow) 77 74, A McCabe (The Links Portmarnock) 76 75, K McCarron (North West) 75 76, P Coughlan (Castleknock) 75 76, S Flanagan (Portmarnock) 73 78, K Egan (Carton House) 73 78, C Denvir (Elm Park) 72 79;

152 J Boles (Charleville) 75 77, S Murphy (Portumna) 74 78, R Kennelly (Castleknock) 73 79, J Byrne (Baltinglass) 72 80;

153 T Plunkett (Crover House) 80 73, D Shiel (Powerscourt) 78 75, E Farrell (Ardee) 76 77;

154 C Johnston (Dundalk) 77 77, D Keating (Seapoint) 74 80;

156 E Monaghan (Tullamore) 78 78;

157 K Robinson (Castlewarden) 79 78, P Davitt (Mullingar) 76 81;

159 M Mina Ronayne (Mullingar) 81 78, J Cleary (Elm Park) 75 84;

163 D Hill (Roscommon) 82 81;

164 S Mc Dermott (Esker Hills) 79 85;

WD 82 A Collins (Laytown & Bettystown)