SCOTTISH AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP - Smyth and Stewart through to Quarter Finals.

Ayrshire have two players in the quarter finals of the 2010 Scottish Amateur Championship which is being played this week at the Gullane No 1 course.

Michael Smyth (Royal Troon) and Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck) booked their places in the last eight of the event on Thursday as the five other Ayrshire players left in the competition bowed out in rounds 4 or 5.

In his morning match in round 4, Smyth defeated Michael Watson (Elgin) by 3 & 2 and had a notable win in the afternoon when he beat the eighth seed Greg Paterson (St Andrews New) by one hole.

Paterson had booked his fifth round place in the morning by beating Keith Hamilton (Ayr Belleisle) by two holes.

In the quarter finals on Friday morning, Smyth will face the number one seed James Byrne (Banchory) whom he defeated in the early stages of the championship 12 months ago at Royal Troon.

After three comfortable wins in the earlier rounds, Paul Moultrie (Royal Troon) had a very close match in the fourth round before eventually losing at the first extra hole to John Duff (Newmacher)

Although he took an early lead in his fourth round tie, John Shanks (Irvine) eventually lost by 2&1 to Colin Baird (Bothwell Castle).

In the fourth round Malcolm Pennycott (Whiting Bay) faced the former British Boys Champion Jordan Findlay (Fraserburgh) who had shown good form throughout the week. Despite taking Findlay to the final hole for the first time in the competition, Pennycott bowed out of the championship with a one hole defeat.

Michael Stewart - pictured right -,who is bidding to add the senior title to his 2008 win in the Scotttish Boys Champioship, beat Kyle Godsman (Hopeman) by 3&2 in his Thursday morning fourth round meeting, to set up a fifth round match against fellow Ayrshire player Jamie Mackay (Kilmarnock Barassie) who had beaten Thomas Sharkey (Helensburgh) by 3&1 in the morning.

Stewart continued the fine scoring he had been producing all week to record a 3&2 win over Mackay and book his quarter final place.

In his Friday morning quarter final, Stewart will play Jordan McColl (Scotscraig).

There will be no daily reports on the championship on this site on Friday or Saturday but you can keep up with the progress of the two rermaining Ayrshire players on the Scottish Golf website at http://www.scottishgolf.org/