THE county's top amateurs have been offered an extra inducement to compete against their professional counterparts in the James Brearley Lancashire Open.

A voucher for £500, the maximum a member of the unpaid ranks can win in a two-day tournament, has been allocated for the first time since the event was inaugurated in 1973.

County PGA secretary Jim Croxton said: "There are a lot of very fine players in the area and we are hoping this generous prize will encourage them to boost the field, which already looks like being a record with more than 100 entries to date."

It will take place at Blackpool North Shore on August 23-24.

Hesketh's Mike Kanski, who won the Mitsushiba Northern Order of Merit last season and Pleasington's Michael Hunt, who is leading the way this summer, are among the amateurs expected to be in contention.

Paul Eales, the newly-crowned De Vere Hotels PGA North Region champion, has confirmed his availability along with title-holder David Shacklady and 2002 winner Scott Astin in the £10,000 tournament sponsored by the Blackpool-based stockbrokers for a fifth year.

For entry details contact 01204 496137.

Hunt's lead in the Order of Merit table currently stands at 200 points, despite results from Sunday's latest event.

Huyton & Prescot's John Carroll won the Grange Park Rose Bowl to take his tally to 345 and move into second place, but Hunt's blistering start to the season has enabled him to open up a massive lead on 545 points.

Hunt missed the match at Grange Park because he was in action for Lancashire against Cheshire at Royal Lytham, where he beat Bramhall's Gareth Bradley by one hole.

It was revenge for the defeat that Bradley, partnered by Ashton on Mersey's Kevin Kean, inflicted on Hunt and Hart Common's Ken Hudson in the morning foursomes, which Lancashire took 4-2.

Mark Ashworth, of Clitheroe, played a major part in this, winning 6&5 with partner Ian Hill form Fairhaven, against Styal's David Horsey and Shrigley Hall's James Murphy.

Ashworth also won his singles game, 3&2 against Chorlton's Philip Bolton, but despite he and Hunt both winning, Lancashire collapsed to an 8-4 deficit in the singles, to lose the match 10-8.

A MIXED age Lancashire Boys team featuring Blackburn's Steven McGlynn and Clitheroe's Andrew Bennie, beat Cheshire on Thursday.

McGlynn won in both singles and doubles in the 12-5 victory at Chorlton-cum-Hardy.