Morris leads in English women’s stroke play at vanguard of strong Yorkshire showing at St Annes

Selby’s Elle Goodall lies fifth and Olivia Winning, of Rotherham, is eighth.

Morris has shot rounds of 72 73 to sit at the summit alongside Cornwall’s Sammie Giles, who has carded the same totals in the reverse order.

The former Yorkshire champion has benefited from both a new set of irons and a change in putting style this season and is consistently appearing at the top of major leaderboards; she was runner-up at the English women’s amateur.

“The wind is tough, but I’ve hit some good irons which have saved me,” she said.”I got up and down a couple of times and holed the putts.”

Morris had three birdies in her round, including one on the 14th where she hit her approach to six feet and which got her back to level par.

However, the 18th saw her drop a shot after her second shot finished in the rough. “It was a bit disappointing, but it can’t be helped,” she commented.

Goodall (74 74) was level par out with two birdies repairing the damage of two bogeys. She was two over coming home due to two bogeys among seven pars.

Winning (76 75) had a cluster of bogeys at the start of her round, but was level par for 12 holes after that and would have been one under but for a stumble at the last.

Hallamshire’s Holly Morgan (81 76) is 25th. She had one birdie, at the 12th, and a double bogey seven at the sixth.

Goodall’s Selby club-mate Megan Garland (76 80) is 30th, but recovered well to shoot eight over having reached the turn in 43. She had only one par going out plus six bogeys, a double bogey and a birdie.

Huddersfield’s Megan Lockett (81 76) is 31st. She got back to one over for her round with birdies at nine and 12 only to let three shots go in her last three holes.

Her club-mate Harriet Richardson missed the cut despite making a vast improvement on her opening 87, carding a second round 76.

Fulford’s Charlotte Austwick retired 13 holes into her second round.