Stephanie Meadow on song but Scots toil at Portrush

Royal Portrush member Stephanie Meadow toppled No 1 seed Camilla Hedberg at the 19th and defending champion Kelly Tidy beat the world No 1 female amateur, 14-year-old Lydia Ko from New Zealand. But there were no heroics from the six Scottish qualifiers for the match-play stages of the British women's open amateur championship at the Royal Portrush links.

Sixteen-year-old Lauren Taylor (Woburn) knocked out world No 2 Cecilia Cho, also from New Zealand, while the talented Maguire twins, Leona and Lisa, both lost in the first round but Scotland failed to produce a player capable of making even the penultimate day in the Ladies Golf Union's flagship event, admittedly with the strongest-ever field on show.

Pamela Pretswell, who squeezed through the stroke-play eliminator but knocked out No 3 seed Nathalie Mansson in the morning's first round of match-play, was beaten by Spain's Marta Silva 3 and 1 in the second. And Sally Watson, the leading Scottish qualifier won by 4 and 2 over Canada's Jessica Wallace but then lost by 2 and 1 to Perrine Delacour of France.

Meadow, who is No 15 in the world rankings, will now play No 17, the in-form South African Kim Williams. Williams had to play only 28 holes to get past her first and second-round ties.

Amy Boulden from Wales claimed a good 4 and 3 win over Minjee Lee, the 15-year-old Australian girl who led the first qualifying round on Tuesday with a six-under-par 68 and dismissed Scottish champion and Vagliano Trophy selection Louise Kenney by 4 and 2 in the morning round. Boulden now plays Kyle Roig from Puerto Rico for a place in the quarter-finals.

Silva moves on from her win over Pretswell to play Charlotte Wild (Mere) who beat Deirdre Smith (Co Louth) by 4 and 3 after firing five birdies over the first nine holes, at the end of which she was three up. Smith had beaten Lisa Maguire by one hole in the morning.

Taylor from the Woburn club had the greatest day of her golfing life. First she beat the Irish champion and Curtis Cup player Danielle McVeigh by 2 and 1 - and then she claimed the notable scalp of Cho.

"I was so nervous over the last four holes," admitted Taylor who had birdied the seventh, eighth and ninth to turn a one-hole deficit into a two-hole lead.

Teenager Taylor now plays experienced German international, Thea Hoffmeister, who defeated Victoria Bradshaw by 2 and 1.

Tidy is running into form at just the right time in defence of the British title she won at Ganton 12 months ago. After beating Scotland's Kelsey MacDonald by 2 and 1 in a rematch of last year's final, the Lancashire player beat 14-year-old Ko by 2 and 1 after being one down at the turn.