A strong field will contest the York Amateur Golf Championship at Malton and Norton on Sunday.

The list of 51 competitors includes 47 category one players with handicaps of five and below.

"I believe this is almost certainly the strongest field ever to contest the championship," said Eric Wainwright, competitions secretary of the York Union of Golf Clubs.

There are two scratch players, Neil Smith (Heworth), and Steve Mitchell (Fulford) and four one-handicap players, Jim Duckett (Boothferry), Martin Brown (Pike Hills), Iain Simpson (Fulford) and David Holder (York) who is the current champion.

Players off two, who are also expected to make a major bid in the 36-hole event, are Matthew Kelly, Philip Collier, Steve Dunn and Jonathan Plaxton (all Fulford), who won the trophy two years ago.

York Amateur Championship tee-times

8.00am D McCarthy (FP), J Thompson (FoG), A Bell (Y); 8.09: A Crawford (KM), C L R Dale (F), W Pendall (FP); 8.18: S Lockwood (H), A Dick (O), A Potter (F); 8.27: A Shearer (FP), C Brownlee (Y), A Thompson (BF); 8.36: G Stericker (F), A Nichol (FoG), J Hudson (PH); 8.45; R Alldridge (O), P Harlington (BF), C Stericker (F), C Tyrer (E), D Meek (PH), R Thornton (F).

9.03: G D Wilson (BF), D Rix (M&N), P Bowes (O); 9.12: M Rudd (F), S Ramsdale (Sc), S Harlington (BF); 9.21; N Crapper (Y), P Butler (KM), N Thompson (Sc); 9.30: K Magson (KM), H Jackson (Y), K J Miller (F); 9.39: M J Kelly (F), M Garland (O), M Dowdall (PH); 9.48: P Collier (F), J Batt (H), M I McEvoy (M&N); 9.57: D Holder (Y0, I Simpson (F), R Chilton (PH).

10.06: S Dunn (F), A Holmes (KM); 10.15: NN Smith (H), A Lount (PH00, J L Plaxton (F); 10.24: S Mitchell (F), J Drinkall (M&N0, M Brown (PH).

Res R Mason (FP), G Paver (F), R D Robinson (FoG).

Seward Trophy (at Malton and Norton Golf Club on Sunday)

10.42: J Woodhouse (E), K Issott (FP); 10.51: C King (E), S Charlton (Y), C Woodbridge (O).

11.00: J Harris (E0, J Harland (KM), E Nutt (O); 11.09: A Johnson (BF), M S Miller (F), L Fee (KM).

11.18: D Craven (O), J Edmondson (Y), A Pheasant (BF); 11.27; A Butler (KM), R Stephenson (Y), P Dobson (0); 11.36: M Christie (E), A Cowan (FP), B Field (O); 11.45: Nicola Craven (O), M Stephenson (Y), A Ledger (BF), L Mitchell (BF), T Cockill (Y), J McNutt 9PH0.

12.03; W Strutt (BF), L Grant (Y), M Lord (H).

Updated: 11:56 Thursday, May 31, 2001