Housden and Staunton share early lead at Stoke by Nayland - 01/01/1970

PLEASE NOTE: EARLY REPORT - PLAYERS STILL TO FINISH THEIR FIRST ROUND.

Craig Housden and Kieran Staunton lead The Stoke by Nayland Championship 2009 after shooting five under opening rounds of 67 at the Suffolk venue.

Both men started their rounds on the back nine, and Staunton (Woodcote Park - pictured) fired down the front nine after going through the back level - with birdies at the first three holes followed by two more to end on five under. Housden (Channels) picked up four birdies before dropping a shot at the 18th to go out four under and could've have lead on his own with a 66 had he not dropped a shot on the ninth.

Four players trail the leading pair by one stroke after a scorching day on the Gainsborough course. Lorne Kelly (Pro Dream USA) started on the back nine and recovered from a double bogey at the 13th to shoot 68, while Barrie Trainor (South County) roared to four under after five with two birdies and an eagle and recorded pars at every remaining hole in his round of four under.

Paul O'Hanlon (Curragh) was one over after 11 holes but three birdies and an eagle in the five holes from there put him in the group on four under, the final member of the quartet being Mark Kerr (Golf Fit Ltd/Bathgate GC) who will rue a dropped shot at 17.

Peter O'Keeffe will feel he should be right up with the leaders, sitting at five under with four holes to play but two bogeys means he joins Lee Harper (Archerfield Links) in registering a three under par round of 69.

A clutch of players at two under will be hoping to improve on their rounds of 70 in Wednesday's second round - Jon Wetton, Peter Finch, Paul Dwyer (Clitheroe), Scott Jamieson, George Cowan (Westerhope), Jeremy Kavanagh (Stoke Park) and Daniel Perrett (Clevedon/Purple Golf) all sit three shots behind, with Challenge Tour regular Jamie Moul (Stoke by Nayland) one under par on his home course.

The second round of The Stoke by Nayland Championship 2009 begins at 7.30am on Wednesday morning, with live scoring available via the Score Updates link on the homepage, where you can find the full first round leaderboard.

Date Posted: 30/06/09, 7.30pm