Marmion had only just held his lead with a miraculous up-and-down on the 5th so Matt 'having a hack' down the 8th gave Marmion momentum he promptly returned to Matt by making a mess of the 8th

Matt again returned the favour at the 10th and had to make a good two putt at the 11th to stay just one down. The whole game swung on the 12th.

Marmion was just a yard from the green on this short par four with his drive. The green slopes away and Marmion decided to chip rather than putt and he was well short then three putted, leaving Matt to take the hole.

Once again Matt made a crucial par at the very tough 15th to go ahead again and on the next he sneaked home a double breaking 20ft putt for a birdie. A par at the 17th and it was off to lunch to ready for the semi-final.

Matt did not play many of the first seven holes of the afternoon well - he described it as 'the worst golf I have played for years'.

There were birdies and a half in six when Matt watched his opposition Steve Winstone make a four with his second tee shot at the par four 4th - Matt three putting for his six. By the 7th though Matt was just one down after Winstone mistakes.

The next four holes were crucial and Matt birdied three of them to give him a lead he never lost a hole from, taking him into the final he so narrowly missed out on last year.

There can only be one message to Matt - Good luck - we hope you play your best.'

Cryer seeks third year final place

English Amateur 2007 - R2&3 of the Matchplay - Thursday 2nd August 2007 - Matt Cryer moved into the quarter finals of the English Amateur, looking to improve on his quarter final place in 2005 and last year's epic battle (and eventual loss) with Oliver Fisher in the semi-finals. It was two tough matches to get there, and unfortunately Andy Sullivan did not make it through beyond R2, losing at the 22nd.

'I played really well in the morning,' said Matt, 'I was always in a good position, even when I missed a green.'

The wind had switched round over lunch, so the 18th was playing into the wind - but Matt never needed to play that hole as he beat Andrew Cooley (Chobham) by 4&3

'I prefer the wind that was - its suits me better, ' said Matt, 'but it switched back over lunch I played two different courses over the day'

'I had to graft really hard in the afternoon.'

That Matt did with 14 pars and 2 birdies against Jack Bartlett in that match.

He won the 2nd, lost the 5th to a birdie from Bartlett, won the 6th with his own birdie, then was pegged back by another Bartlett birdie at the 7th.

Bartlett then made two mistakes at the 9th and the 10th and Matt had a lead he defended brilliantly -

'I made the most outrageous par at the 11th. I hooked it left and went into a bunker really fast - I knew it would probably be impossible to play.

'When I get there, the only way I can play it is off my knees. I got it out somehow onto the edge of the green and then sank the par putt - from 40ft.'

Matt went onto birdie the next and three holes later; he was through to face Dale Marmion in the Quarters.

Andy Sullivan was two down with two to play, having played well up till then but not found a lead. He hit a wedge close to birdie the 17th then both he and his opposition Shane Winstone went left off the 18th tee.

Andy hit a wedge into the little valley to the left of the green. Winstone could only hack out and then hit a wedge to 30ft.

The pin on the 18th was just over the ridge next to the gulley where Andy found his ball - the same position for both ball and pin that Sandy Lyle found 21 years ago before he won the Open.

Andy made it up onto the green but was 10ft away. Winstone proceed to three putt so Andy's bogey was good enough to take the match onto extra holes.

For the next thre holes Andy faced birdie putts of 20ft and less to win the match. Each one missed. Andy then had 220 yards into the 4th. he selected a 6 iron and watched as it flew the green - the match was gone to a Winstone par.

Sullivan & Cryer march on

English Amateur 2007 - R1 of the Matchplay - Wednesday 1st August 2007 - Royal St George's GC - Both Andy Sullivan and Matt Cryer today moved into the second round of the English Amateur after good margin victories. Andy Sullivan was well under par in his 5&4 win whilst Matt Cryer came back with five birdies in his match - having been two down early on.

Matt was only one over par, having played four the first five holes into the wind, and two down. He then took the two holes back with three birdies in a row from the 7th .

'The guy was a solid player, and a very good putter,' said Matt, 'He hit the hole on just about every approach put he had.'

Matt made another birdie at the 11th to increase his advantage built with the odd opposition mistake and then made a four at the long 15th, played straight into the wind, to be dormie three up.

A two at the 16th sealed his 4&2 winning margin.

Andy started with two pars and a birdie and was three up and in control of his match. He then made two birdies and a bogey from the 5th, to have a nett gain of a hole, the 7th being probably one of only a few birdies that will be made all week from a ball in the rough.

Having hoiked his drive left, he found hit held up in some strands of long grass, above the green 'jungle'. From there he was able to hit a wedge back onto the fairway then a 9 iron onto the green and hole the putt.

Holes were swapped from then on before Andy won the 11th. He bogied the 12th when he found a bunker then hit his approach directly onto the flag at the 13th. the ball stopped a foot from the hole and that was a dormie lead which a par at the 14th meant the winning handshake.

Both Andy and Matt will be playing this morning against golfers they met up with last October at adjacent Prince GC in the 2006 County Finals.

PRE QUALIFYING

The 2007 English Amateur Championship - Royal St Georges and Royal Cinque Ports Golf Clubs - Monday 30th July through to Saturday 4th August - Both Matt Cryer and Andy Sullivan made it through to the main matchplay draw for this year's English Amateur, after quality golf round a fearsome pair of links where the rough is very much 'up' and a missed fairway an instant dropped shot.

Matt opened on Monday with a 71 at Cinque Ports, playing very sensible golf and a score he felt was the worst it could have been. At both courses, rough which would normally have been burnt off by summer sun, has grown. Instead it has become thick, green and completely fearsome and Matt used straight hitting to avoid the lost balls that cost Sam Foster and Andy Sullivan in their 73 and 72 respectively also at Conque Ports.

For Ben Stafford, Dale Marson, Sam Hufton, Mark Davies and Russell Heritage, their opening rounds left them too much to do unless they could have the round of their lives at either course. The 'cut' looked as if would be 147 or so - in the end it was two shots more but none of the above could find one of the low rounds of the day.

Unfortunate to miss out was Sam Foster who shot a 78 round St George's on Tuesday. Playing nearly 7300 yards and now down to a par 70 (featuring a par four of 497 yards played into the wind in the form of the 4th! - it always was a five and should still be so), this was Championship golf at its toughest. Sam would have needed a 76 and fell just two shots short.

Matt avoided the rough all day at St Georges but could not find a birdie. He made five bogies in his 75 which saw him comfortably through and will relish the conditions with his confidence high.

Matt did have to go and try to help his playing partners find their errant shots and on each occasion they were unsuccessful and Matt found none of the other 100s of lost balls that are now lying across this part of Kent!

Andy has learnt to relish the test of a course such as St Georges, especially after his success at the British Amateur just a month ago. He did miss the odd shot but by birdying the 16th and then the just as infamous 17th he handed in a 73 for a 145 total.