Rotherham teenager Ben Schmidt spearheads Yorkshire’s Brabazon assault at Alwoodley

He posted a two-under 69 with a strong finish of birdie, par and shares third place.

Charlie Strickland, a 20-year-old from Sussex, shot a bogey-free 66 to take a two-shot lead ahead of Cornwall’s Harry Hall.

Schmidt said of his 69: “I kept the ball in play, didn’t make any major mistakes which cost me and I had a couple of good par saves.”

Among them was the 13th where he had to come out sideways from a bunker, but then got up and down from 100 yards.

Schmidt, a member of the England Boys’ squad, is playing in this event for the first time and is keen for a good result.

He has plenty of inspiration from within his county: Yorkshire has provided two of the last three Brabazon champions, with Wath’s Nick Poppleton winning last year and Meltham’s Jamie Bower in 2016.

Yorkshire have two other players inside the top 10 in Lindrick’s Bailey Gill and Hallowes’ Sam Bairstow, tied seventh on one-under 70.

Their rounds showed similarities in that they both got to three under after the turn only to surrender two shots, Gill’s coming at 13 and 14 and Bairstow’s at 15 and 18.

Fulford’s Charlie Thorton had five birdies, but had to settle for a level-par 71 after a double bogey at the last.

Rotherham’s Charlie Daughtrey was another to move three better than the card. However, bogeys at 12, 14 and 17 meant he also ended with a 71.