Yorkshire golf: Wath's Nick Poppleton goes low to lead Yorkshire amateur at Moortown

Wath's Nick Poppleton, pictured on his way to a 67 and the halfway lead in the Yorkshire amateur championship (Picture: Chris Stratford).

WATH'S Nick Poppleton birdied three of the last four holes at Moortown to shoot the lowest round so far in the Yorkshire amateur championship and holds a two-shot lead at the halfway stage.

Poppleton added a four-under-par 67 to his opening 75 and heads the 42 qualifiers for Thursday's final two rounds on level par.

The host club's Phil Tomkinson sat atop the leaderboard for a long time after carding a three-under-par 68 and holds second spot alone on 144, one ahead of three players – Wheatley's Kealan Lowe (74 71), Howley Hall's Ben Hutchinson (73 72) and England B international Will Whiteoak, of Shipley (73 72).

First-round leader David Hague (Malton & Norton) is six shots adrift after following his opening level-par 71 with a 77.

Poppleton had just one bogey on his card, at the 446-yard par-4 sixth, but as well as birdieing the opening and closing holes on his outward nine also birdied three in a row from the 15th.

Tomkinson, the 2015 Yorkshire Order of Merit winner, had a far more adventurous round, which he began with an eagle at the 488-yard par-5 first. He had four bogeys, but also birdies at holes four, five, 11, 12 and 18.