Canadian Keir Smith retained his overnight lead as play was delayed for over five hours during the second round of the Bermuda Open at Port Royal yesterday because of a series of fierce electrical storms ? with several groups unable to finish their rounds before darkness.

The first group teed off at 7.50 a.m., but it was only an hour and a half later that the first of many black clouds rolled in and the forks of lightning began to appear offshore, forcing tournament director Alex Madeiros to suspend play.

And it was not until 2.30 in the afternoon that the increasingly bored and frustrated players were allowed onto the practice range, with the resumption eventually coming half an hour after that.

?Today was a long and exhausting day,? said a frazzled-looking Madeiros afterwards.

?Rain and wind is not a problem ? but once the lightning started there was no choice but to bring the players in. Being cooped up in the clubhouse for hour after hour is not an easy thing and you need a lot of patience.

?But the safety of the players has got to be the biggest consideration and I was not going to put them back out there until I was absolutely sure the bad weather had cleared.

?There was a lot of rain and the greens slowed up a little bit ? but in general the course drained very well and was in good shape and a lot of credit must go to (Port Royal superintendent) Nick Mansell and his staff who did a fantastic job getting the course ready for the re-start.

?Unfortunately because of the delay we were not able to get everybody through their second rounds ? which is going to mean some early starts for some guys tomorrow (today), but that?s unavoidable I?m afraid.?

Meanwhile, when the action did get underway in glorious late-afternoon sunshine, Smith finished with a one-under 70 to leave him in the lead at five-under for the tournament, while two-time winner PH Horgan carded a four-under 67 to secure second place, followed by American pro Jeffrey Dantes on three under.

Defending champion Michael Sims wasn?t able to finish his round yesterday evening as the light became unplayable by the time he reached the 17th tee.

But having begun the day on two-under, and after an even par front nine, the Island?s number one chipped in from just off the green on both 15 and 16 to take him to two-under for the round and four-under for the championships ? tied for second and still in position to claim back-to-back titles.

The 27-year-old Island number one will resume his round at 8.00 this morning.

Tournament-leader Smith, who has been a model of consistency so far by only recording one bogey in 36 holes, insisted afterwards he was paying very little attention to the leaderboard.

?I?m playing well at the moment and I?m in a good position, but winning hasn?t even entered my head,? said last year?s Goodwill individual champion, who triumphed in that stableford event by beating Sims in a play-off at Riddell?s Bay.

?I really love this course ? I?ve got a really good feel for the lines off the tee and like all the guys will tell you, making a few good putts makes all the difference and so far I?ve managed to do that.

?I played on the Canadian Tour in the early 1990s and have been the professional at the National Golf Club just outside Toronto for a few years now.

?It?s a good set-up as they allow me time to play competitively as well so I come into this sort of tournament feeling sharp.

?From here I?ll just try and carry on in the same way. There?s no question of me playing conservatively ? I?ve got to go out there and be aggressive when I can afford to be because it?s going to be important to make a few more birdies with a couple of guys not far behind.?

The cut for the tournament takes place after today?s third round, with only half the 65-man field plus ties making it through to the final round tomorrow. Organisers were unable to provide a full scoreboard yesterday because of the weather delay.