MALTON & Norton Golf Club star David Hague remained in the running for Brabazon Trophy glory - despite a driver crisis.

Hague ended day one of the English men’s open amateur championship just one shot behind a trio of joint-leaders when play at Frilford Heath Golf Club, Oxfordshire, was suspended after three greens flooded following torrential rain.

And he had stayed in contention despite seeing his club break in practice on Wednesday.

Hague's grandfather, who had travelled to watch the 21-year-old and had his clubs in his car, loaned the Ryedale ace a driver – an identical model.

And he and used it to set up a bogey-free first round of 68, the England international hitting plenty of fairways and also being on form with his wedge, providing him with tap-in birdies on holes 13 and 15.

Hague was joined on four-under-par by Ryan Brooks (Whittington Heath, Staffordshire), David Houlding (Moortown, Yorkshire), Stuart Easton (Irvine, Scotland) and Dan Brown (Littlestone, Kent).

Three players were tied at five-under 67 when play ended - Germany’s Ferdi Mueller, South Africa's number one amateur, Wilco Nienaber, and England teenager Jack Cope (The Players Club, Gloucestershire).

Just over half of the players had completed 18 holes, with the others set to return to the course at 8am on Friday to complete the first round. The second round will be played on Saturday, with the top 60 players and ties, subject to numbers, returning to play 36 holes on Sunday.

English amateur champion Todd Clements (Braintree, Essex) had to pull out of the championship before hitting a shot, after injuring his back.