General / Editor / 27 April 2007 /

Stuart Little made a big impact on the second day of the rain-hit Spanish Open as he leads at the halfway mark at the Centro Nacional Golf Club.

Little was one of only a handful of players near the leaderboard summit to complete his round on another thunderstorm-interrupted day in Madrid which saw the English dominate.

When play eventually finished he topped the leaderboard on the eight-under-par, with compatriot Nick Dougherty one shot back, along with fellow Englishman Mark Foster and South Africa's Charl Schwartzel.

Little, the man who bears the name of a cartoon character, was in no mood for child's play after being given the opportunity to compete in a tournament he never seemed likely to grace.

The Devon left-hander wasn't even sure he was playing until just before the start on Thursday when fellow Englishman Anthony Wall withdrew due to ill-health, handing him his opportunity as first reserve. And Little, who turns 40 later this year, certainly took full advantage of his late inclusion in the event by carding an eight-under-par 136 total to put him in the hunt ahead of the weekend's action.

Struggling for chances this season after losing his European Tour card by finishing a lowly 150th on last year's Order of Merit, Little played freely following his late surprise entry for the tournament and carded an impressive opening five-under-par total, which included seven birdies.

He kept his form on the second day to pull clear of the field, sinking a further five birdies before dropped shots at 15 and 17 stopped him from enjoying what would have been a commanding halfway lead.

Little is regarded as a journeyman of the game and is without a victory since he made his European Tour debut 15 years ago but he knows he's now in with a chance of claiming the £225,000 top prize if he can hold his nerve and form.

Little's compatriot Dougherty had set the pace on the opening day with a six-under 66, spoilt only by a bogey at the last in what had to be one of his most bizarre rounds of golf. He had to complete his final eight holes on his own after injuries forced playing partners Peter Hedblom and Jose Manuel Lara to withdraw.

Swede Hedblom pulled out before the start because of rib trouble with Lara quitting what was intended to be a three-ball after 10 holes because of an ankle problem.

Dougherty's round had spilled into Friday afternoon after rain delays on the opening day and he had only a 30-minute break before teeing off again - this time with good friend Simon Dyson as his playing partner. The English then have a firm grip of the leaderboard but South African Schwartzel will be hoping to push his claims as he remains in the hunt.

Schwatzal was always likely to be a threat. He boasts a very good record in Spain with two top tens and a top 15 from four outings and he looked fresh on his comeback having sidestepped the trip to Shanghai over the last couple of weeks in order to play here.

Englishmen Dyson and Andrew Raitt are also in the frame on six-under two adrift of the leader with defending champion Nicolas Fasth a couple of shots further back.

But it has been a frustrating tournament so far for players, officials and spectators alike and when another suspension to play came late on Friday several players in the 155-strong field had failed to even tee off in their second round.

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