DRAMATIC pruning has reduced the field from the customary 174 down to 150 competitors in the AIB sponsored East of Ireland Championship, which starts at Baltray today.

It is the organisers' way of eventually shouting "stop!" to the laggards who had jeopardised the future of the event by taking up to five hours to complete a round.

"We noticed there were quite a number of players shooting in the middle to high 80s," said Leinster Branch executive officer Paul Smyth yesterday. "I'm not suggesting that good players can't have off days, but by lowering the handicap limit we believe we can speed up play."

So, the cut off point has come at an exact 2.8, as opposed to 12 months ago when the figure went as high as 4.4.

But the event will be missing Jody Fanagan, Eamonn Brady, Bryan Omelia, Graham Spring, Peter Lawrie and Trevor Coulter who have opted for the conflicting British Amateur Championship, which starts at Turnberry on Monday. At that stage, the lending 50 qualifiers in the East will be facing the final 36 holes in quest of the title.

Though it has had to live with this clash in recent years, the East has still produced a succession of outstanding winners. And the manner in which a fine links can reward enduring skills was highlighted 12 months ago when veteran Declan Branigan retained a title he had first won 14 years previously.

Branigan is back to defend the title, but considerable attention will focus on the younger challengers this weekend. Facing rough that has become particularly strong over the last few days, they are playing for places in a six member side for two youth internationals, against Scotland at Sttanraer on June 21st and against Wales at Royal Portrush five days later.

Even in the absence of the British Amateur contingent, the field is impressive. Garth McGimpsey, winner of this title for a second time two years ago, is returning to one of his favourite venues. And as winner of the West of Ireland in April, he will be attempting to complete a double which he last achieved in 1988 and which was secured by Branigan in 1981.

The most recent guide to form is the Interprovincial Championship, which took place on May 15th to 17th at Mount Juliet. There, one of the outstanding performances came from Portmarnock's David Kelleher who gained a total of five points, two and a half of which came from singles combat in which he beat Connacht's Nigel Howley, Ulster's Philip Purdy and halved with Munster's Stephen Moloney.

And there were impressive displays by his Portmarnock colleague, Noel Fox, notably in a two holes victory over David Dunne of Connacht. Interestingly, another of this weekend's challengers, Moloney, also performed impressively at Mount Juliet, where East absentee, Lawrie, was the outstanding competitor with six points out of six.

In the context of younger players, however, Raymond Burns became something of an exception when gaining successive victories in the East in 1992 and 1993. They were memorable performances by any standards, not least for the fact that he set an aggregate record of 279 in 1992, only to beat it by a stroke the following year.

All of the other winners of recent years were experienced campaigners, such as Denis O'Sullivan in 1990, Padraig Hogan in 1991, McGimpsey in 1994 and Branigan 12 months ago. Their success emphasises the special qualities which are required in holding a score together for 72 holes played over three days.

Against that background, it may be interesting to note the form, this weekend, of a player at 28, falls between those two groups. I refer to local man John Paul Fitzgerald whose competitive qualities were in evidence when he finished runner up in the Irish Close Championship of 1987 and again in 1992.

Hardly the shy, retiring type, Fitzgerald will be recalled for his amusing candour during the Tramore championship of nine years ago when he described his play as "flawless" and went on to offer the intriguing suggestion that "my greatest asset is my mouth."

More mature and subdued since then, he still requires very little prompting to be drawn into raptures about the qualities of his game.

But for all that, he remains a fine player who could raise a few eyebrows this weekend. The more likely outcome, however, is for one of the two Portmarnock challengers, Fox and Kelleher, along with Castletroy's Moloney, to reassert a youthful dominance of the event.

Meanwhile, Milltown's women have achieved an historic breakthrough by electing their own members.

The process, which was carried out by the women's committee, augmented by five former lady captains, means that they have now effectively taken full responsibility for all key elements of the women's section.