Twins vie for control in Ladies' Open Stroke Play

In the same event 12 months ago, Leona finished first and Lisa was third. Since then, they have become the first set of twins to play in the Vagliano Trophy and it would take a brave person to bet against them achieving the same feat in this year's Curtis Cup. The Great Britain & Ireland team will be announced on Monday, and, based on yesterday's events under a lead-grey sky on the Ayrshire coast, Mary McKenna, the captain, and her team of selectors must have been purring after watching Leona launch the defence of her title with a six-under-par 69, an effort beaten by just two players, Pitreavie's Louise Kenney and Nikki Foster from Pleasington.

Just over two weeks since her successful defence of the French Under-21s Open Championship, Ireland's Leona confirmed her liking for the Troon Portland links – she opened with the same score last year – with a round that contained five birdies and an eagle, which came courtesy of the Slieve Russell player chipping in from 20 yards at the ninth.

"I've got nothing to lose this week," said Leona, admitting she'd found herself hitting shorter irons into most greens as a result of the added length she's gained over the past year. "The pressure is on the older girls in the field and, while it would obviously be nice to make the Curtis Cup, my first aim is to try and defend the title." After being four-under with five to play, Lisa, who along with her sister played in a professional event, the Northern Ireland Ladies' Open, at the age of 12, eventually signed for a 74, but is still inside the top 15 going into the second round over the same course today.

Kenney, one of the Scots in the frame for the Curtis Cup, picked the perfect time to produce her lowest-ever round in relation to par, an eight-under effort earning her a share of the lead with Foster, an 18-year-old who has dad Trevor, a former Lancashire county player who qualified for the Open in 1988 at Royal Lytham, caddying for her this week.