North of Ireland Championship: Andrew Pitcher (19), is still waiting for a call from the Ireland selectors.

He reckons his recent performances just might have been good enough to earn him a place in the Irish Youth squad, but the call hasn't come.

While the Youth team is battling in the European Championship in Spain, Pitcher, from The Island, is trading his talents at Royal Portrush in the Magners North of Ireland Open Championship. He's making a pretty good job of it, too.

Yesterday, he waltzed through the opening two rounds of matchplay, beating Joe Lyons of Galway 3 and 2 and John McKinstry of Cairndhu by 5 and 4. Last season, he slammed Rory McIlroy in the third round, but then lost to Stuart Paul in the quarter-finals.

A few weeks ago, The Island member led the qualifiers in the Irish Close Championship at The European Club and went on to reach the last 16.

"I'm getting used to the phone not ringing," laughed the six-footer, who has completed his first year of a Business Studies course at the Francis Marion University in South Carolina. "I did play at Boys' level with Ireland, but that year I had won the Connacht Championship and was second in the Order of Merit."

Against McKinstry, Pitcher was three up after seven holes, but lost the ninth to birdie, before regaining the lost ground with a birdie four at the 10th. Pars were good enough from there for the big youth to win 5 and 4. He finished the match at one-under-par.

Ballymena's Alex McCloy was on a roll yesterday after a morning 7 and 6 blitz of young Richard Naylor from West Surrey. He began with four birdies and three pars to be six up as he pencilled in a hat-trick of birdies from the fifth hole. After that he never looked back.

However, his one-hole victory over international Jim Carvill was his highlight of the day. Warrenpoint's Carvill was one of the short-priced players in the draw, but scratch player McCloy overcame a shaky start to brush aside the former professional player.

The argument was level after 16 holes when Carvill missed par from three feet, but it wasn't until the home green that McCloy booked his place in the third round.

After a three-wood and nine-iron to the green, the Ballymena member holed from eight feet for birdie to win the close match.