Italy’s Alessia Nobilio blazed a trail around Beau Desert to turn up the heat on leader Jess Hall at the halfway stage of the English Women’s Amateur Stroke Play Championship
The former world number three amateur from Ambrosiano near Milan carded a superb round of 68 to move up the leaderboard into second spot on her own and in hot pursuit of the ever-steady Hall.
The composed Hall followed her opening round of 70 with an equally impressive tally of 71 for a 36-hole score of +1.
Nobilio’s two-under par round is the best of the week so far and took her from a place just inside the top ten after an opening round of 74 to be breathing down the neck of the leader on +2.
With two rounds to go over the weekend at the Staffordshire club, it remains a tight contest.
Seven players are within six shots of the lead and a few more on the fringes of the top 10 may fancy their chances of clawing their way back into the race with a good round on Saturday.
Among those handily placed are Denmark’s Christina Thouber (+4), Gosforth Park’s Libby Bell (+5) and English Under 25 champion Hannah Screen (pictured above) who is also lurking with intent on the same total as Bell and just four off the lead.
For Nobilio, the score was satisfying but could even have been better. The University of California, Los Angeles student was rarely in trouble and birdied the third, ninth and 13th holes to move into a share of the lead.
A six-foot putt for birdie on the 14th hole slipped by as did a tricky putt of double that distance on the next.
A three-putt bogey down the slope on the treacherous par three, 16th hole cost her a dropped shot before a 10-footer on the 18th for birdie came up agonisingly short in the jaws of the cup.
After signing her card, Nobilio said: “It was a very solid round. I started with a good strategy, I knew it would be tougher with the wind. I wanted to make pars and then the birdies came so that was a good day.
“I had a lot of chances, to be honest, and could have made more birdies, but I’m happy.”
Earlier this summer, Nobilio was part of the Italian side which finished second behind England in the European Team Championships at Conwy and also played in the Women’s Amateur at Hunstanton.
Supported from the sidelines by dad Alfonso, Nobilio is looking forward to the chance to challenge over the weekend.
She added: “This is the first time that my dad has seen me play in two years so I’m really happy to be here with him this week. It’s a big support.
“I don’t want to have expectations – I just want to play my game and do the best I can. That’s my goal for the week.”
For Hall (pictured above), the second round was similar to the first – a succession of fairways and greens and solid all-round play.
There were three birdies, two bogeys and one double on the 12th hole which she did well to forget and finish with six straight pars.
Hall said: “The wind picked up and it wasn’t easy.
“I am happy to get in with that score today. It was going well up until the 12th – then had a bit of a disaster, but that’s golf. I didn’t let it affect me.
“The putter is rolling really well which also helps. I have a good plan. I don’t hit it as far as some of the players, but I know what I can do and I’m playing to my own strengths.”
Exactly 60 players have made it through to the final two rounds after the halfway cut fell at +19. Players will head out in twos from 7.30am on Saturday.
Once again, Beau Desert was in great condition for the Friday’s play with the club also well served by a small army of volunteers on the course to help with scoring, ball-spotting and signalling.
One of the volunteers, Denis Sunley, is a retired vicar
And as he explains in the video below, a spot of divine intervention never goes amiss on the golf course!
Photography: Leaderboard
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