Duo lead at Duddingston

Banchory's Greig Hutcheon (pictured) has far more experience than Craig Gordon (Edinburgh Golf Centre) of being in the pole position of a tournament at halfway.

But the joint leaders in the £9,000 Duddingston 36-hole challenge will each fancy his chance of staying in front over the final 18 holes at the Edinburgh venue.

Certainly Gordon's five-under-par 67 contained enough birdies - six in all - to give him the confidence to hang on in there under pressure. His sub-par figures came at regular intervals until drying up over the last four holes. Gordon birdied the long first, the long fourth, the seventh, ninth, 13th and short 14th with only one bogey to spoil the card, at the fifth.

Hutcheon could not have asked for a better start - an eagle at the par-five first. He was four-under-par standing on the fifth tee, having birdied the third and fourth. But Hutcheon, who will be playing in the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart next week, was stuck in the doldrums in the middle part of his round until his only bogey, at the 11th, snapped him into action again.

He birdied the 12th and 13th but then, like Gordon, could not get another birdie over Duddington's closing holes.

They lead by a shot from Christopher Currie (Caldwell) whose 68 included six birdies and two bogeys.

Joint fourth on 69 at Mark Kerr (Marriott Dalmahoy) and Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle).