Yorkshire Ladies golf title favourite Emma Duggleby went into today's first matchplay round as the third seed after being knocked off the number one spot by a record-breaking round by Naomi Edwards.

Malton and Norton talent Duggleby, who is also the English champion and a Curtis Cup player, had gone into the championship at York Golf Club in Strensall hoping to repeat her biennial post-Millennium wins in 2000 and 2002.

Duggleby paired off with Harrogate's Rachel Scaife in this morning's first round and is still the one to beat having scored an impressive 11 birdies over the day.

But despite having rounds of 69 and 73 in the stroke-play qualifiers it was not enough to earn the number one seeding going into today's final after a scorching 66 by Ganton member Edwards.

The 20-year-old England under-21 squad player broke the 72-par course record with her second round score after posting a two over-par 74 in the first.

No fewer than six birdies and no dropped shots undercut the previous course best by three shots, and could have been even better had her approach on the short 11th ended in a hole-in-one instead of narrowly missing it.

Edwards, who reduced her handicap to one last Friday in a club competition, was rewarded for her efforts with a pairing against A Morris from Brough in the first round today, with a chance of coming up against Leeds schoolgirl Kiran Matharu in the final, who played her way into second seed with consistent rounds of 70 and 71.

Edwards' Ganton club-mate Sara Garbutt qualified in fourth place with a 146 total, four shots behind Duggleby, after a three-over 75 and a 71. She faces Starkie from Silsden.

The Oaks player Emma Dobson narrowly missed the cut after a nightmare first round of 81 gave her too much to do in the second and could only make 77 for a 158 total to finish one behind last qualifier Morris from Brough.

Joy Hunter from York was also out of the picture after a second round 89 took her first day tally to 169.

Updated: 11:17 Wednesday, May 12, 2004