Golf: Foster on course to retain title

Mark Foster, the holder, is on course to become the first player for more than 20 years to win the English Amateur Golf Championship in consecutive years.

Foster, from Worksop, came from behind to win his fourth and fifth-round matches at Hunstanton, Norfolk, yesterday and is now favourite to emulate Durham's Harry Ashby, who won in 1972 and 1973.

In this morning's quarter- finals, the 20-year-old champion meets the Northumberland county player Iain Ferrie, who had six birdies in 13 holes in winning his fifth-round tie against Rick Daniels of Cheshire.

The surprise in the last eight is 18-year-old Mark Thomas, from Sheffield, who has reached the quarter-finals at his first attempt. He is self-taught and has received coaching only since leaving school last year. He plays Kent's Shaun Webster, while in today's other quarter-finals Sam Jarman meets Jamie Miller and Robert McGuirk faces Sam Little.