Yorkshire golf: Familiar semi-finalists at Fulford as Selby's Megan Garland seeks repeat success

Fulford semi-finalists Emma Brown, left, and Megan Garland, right, with Yorkshire captain Fran Dickson.

A REPEAT of last year's final of the Yorkshire women's amateur championship is a possibility at Fulford as Selby's Megan Garland looks to retain her title.

She and last year's runner-up, Emma Brown (Malton & Norton), battled through two rounds of match play on Saturday after placing first and third respectively in Friday's 36-hole stroke play qualifying stage.

Three of 2016's final four have reached the penultimate stage again, with Huddersfield's Megan Lockett - the champion the year before - also making it through.

The only player missing from last year's semi-final line-up is Curtis Cup player Rochelle Morris, who is competing in the Welsh Ladies Open Amateur Stroke Play championship at Ashburnham.

However, her club, Woodsome Hall, is represented in the semi-final line-up in the shape of Nicola Slater. She will attempt to deny Garland successive final appearances while Lockett - who only bowed to Garland at the fourth hole of a sudden-death play-off at her home course last year in defence of her crown - will look to deny Brown.

Garland got the better of successive opponents from Ganton on Saturday, beating Sarah Gilmore 3&1 in the last eight after an emphatic 6&4 win over Chloe Stokes.

Slater beat a third Ganton representative, Naomi Edwards, 4&3 and then defeated Lockett's Huddersfield club-mate Charlotte Heath 2&1.

Brown defeated Megan Clarke, also Huddersfield, 4&2 and Olivia Hamilton (Cleckheaton) 4&3.

Wath's Betty Sworowski bowed to Lockett 3&2 in the first round before the Welsh international saw off Wakefield's Heather Butcher by what was once known as a 'dog licence' margin - 7&6.

Gilmore had earned her last-eight place with a one-hole win over Mia Eales Smith (Lindrick); Heath with a two-hole victory over Brough's Angela Morris; Hamilton by defeating Waterton Park's Toni-Louise Naylor 4& 3, and Butcher with a one-hole triumph against Jess Smee (Hessle).

Garland and Slater tee-off at 8.45am Sunday and Brown and Lockett at 9.00am. Spectators are welcome.

Rochelle Morris remained in her overnight position of fourth at Ashburnham after adding a 74 to her first-round 77.

She is just three shots back of leader Gemma Clews, of Delamere Forest (75 73).

Selby's Ellie Goodall (80 76) is tied 15th, two places ahead of Rotherham's Olivia Winning, who bettered her Friday score of 83 by nine shots to stand on 157.

Morris's Woodsome Hall team-mate Melissa Wood showed an even healthier improvement, carding 76 after opening with an 87.