Southampton's European Tour campaigners Richard Bland and Matt Blackey had contrasting fortunes coming down the finishing stretch at Celtic Manor yesterday.

The venue for the Wales Open has been earmarked for Ryder Cup hostilities in years to come and the back nine is regarded as the most challenging half of the beautiful hillside course.

Bland made it look relatively easy as he blazed three birdies to rescue a card which he must have felt like tearing up after eight holes.

Blackey, in contrast, made the smoothest of starts, parring his way through to the 565-yard fifth where he took a four to move to one under.

Then the golf course sprung back at him and he leaked shots at six and seven before fighting back with his second birdie of the day at the ninth to turn in level par figures.

That's as good as it got for Hayling Islander Blackey, who now lives next door to Bland in Bassett. The former Hampshire Amateur and Open champion gave two more shots away at the 11th and the 13th for a round of 74 - two over par.

He'll need to break 70 today to beat the halfway cut, but Blackey will be hoping his home form holds good.

He's just earned £30,000 from good finishes in the Benson and Hedges and Volvo PGA Championship events.

While Blackey stands 90th in the order of merit, Bland desperately needs to kickstart his season after slumping to 132nd place.

Inconsistency has stalked the six times Hampshire Open champion wherever he has played this season and it was there again at Celtic Manor where the Stoneham tournament pro suffered a dreadful start.

He bogeyed the first and third and after fighting back to level figures with birdies at the fourth and fifth, was back to two over again with a six at the 436-yard sixth.

It got worse before it got better with another shot going at the eighth before Bland recaptured his old magic and birdied 11, 14 and 18 for a round of 72.

The man who was beaten in a play off for the Irish Open title last July, is seven behind the leader Ian Poulter, who is only five places above him in the order of merit. But he looked back to his sparkling best with eight birdies in a round of 65.