MICHAEL Hunt overtook his Lancashire team-mate Richard Walker to go top of the Mitsushiba northern merit, thanks to his victory in the Pines Trophy at Hillside which followed his success in the Formby Hare two weeks earlier.

And that will do his confidence a power of good when he pegs up over his home course, Pleasington, in the Lancashire Champ- ionship which starts on Friday.

Walker, winner of the Crosby Plate at West Lancs, trails 145 points with Styal's David Horsey in third spot, 25 behind him, but 15 ahead of his Cheshire team-mate Kevin Kean, from Ashton-on-Mersey.

LEADERS: 345pts M Hunt (Pleasington); 200 R Walker (Frodsham); 175 D Horsey (Styal); 160 K Kean (Ashton-on-Mersey); 155 D Peel (Stockport); 155 N Bell (Carlisle); 110 J Farnsworth (Coxmoor); 100 G Clark (Manchester), W Fox (Sand Moor).

• HISTORY repeated itself for Swinton Park's Jimmy O'Riley when he retained the Balfour Cup at Saddleworth with a 67, the score he shot to win Manchester golf's top amateur prize at Worsley last year.
  
  The nine-handicapper won by a stroke from Barry Cuthbert, also a past winner, from Prestwich host club's Steve Harrington claiming the gross with 73.
  
  
• SPECTATORS at the Open Championship at Royal Troon in July will have access to additional grandstand seats as a result of higher than anticipated advance ticket sales.
  
  Some 19,000 seats in 22 grandstands will be sited at strategic locations around the course.
  
  
• RHODRI Giggs, brother of United star Ryan, top scored in the Audi Quattro Cup stableford at Hopwood with 41 points and will team up with the next best finishers, Anthony Caldwell, David Brown and David Jones, in the regional final at Marriott Worsley Park in July.
  
  
• BURY have won '100 towards junior coaching by being one of the clubs who returned the EGU biennial membership questionnaire 2004 before the deadline. To date, 50 per cent of the 1,910 clubs have responded.