Former champion Robert Vallis surged into a six-shot lead at the men?s Bermuda Amateur Strokeplay Championships at Port Royal yesterday thanks to a one-under-par round of 70 to go with his 72 the day before.

With heavy overnight rain making the course soggy in places, first round leader David Smith ? who started the day at even par ? slipped back into third place after a disappointing round of 79 while student William Haddrell moved up to second by virtue of another 74.

The biggest move of the day came from Cornell Bean jr, who made amends for his lacklustre 83 in the first round by equalling Vallis? low score of 70 yesterday to finish in a tie for fourth.

Bermuda Amateur Match Play champion Nick Mansell continues to lag some 15 shots off the lead having carded rounds of 77 and 80.

Meanwhile, the first round of the women?s competition also got underway yesterday with Ebonie Burgess making an early charge at the title with an impressive 77.

Defending champion Laura Robinson, who was going along well until taking a disastrous nine on the par-three 16th, is sitting in third after finishing on 88, 11 shots off the lead.

Katyna Rabain is in second place after shooting 85 ? and both she and Robinson have a lot of work to do if they are to catch Burgess over the course of the next two rounds.

Bermuda?s top pro Michael Sims has shaken off a prolonged wrist injury to play in the $100,000 Great Vancouver Charity Classic this week ? with the 27-year-old on two over par after nine holes of his second round.

Tied for 52nd, Sims was still only five shots off the lead at the Hazelmere Country Club course in British Colombia and looked on course to make his first cut on the Canadian Tour after missing three in succession.

The Bermuda Open champion carded a first round score of one-under 71, including five birdies and four bogeys.

Sims was forced to sit out the last Canadian Tour tournament in Mexico last month with his wrist injury, which had stubbornly refused to improve despite no broken bones and a range of specialists being unable to find anything wrong.

The 27-year-old has endured a tough first year on the Canadian Tour, missing the cut in all three tournaments he has competed in so far.