The highest World ranked player in the round of the last 16 is British girls champion Georgia Hall (Remedy Oak) who won a titanic second-round struggle against Hayley Davis.

The morning wind and rain eventually gave way to a sunny late afternoon evening but there was only gloom for the defending champion Stephanie Meadow (Royal Portrush), who had beaten the 2011 champion Lauren Taylor (Woburn) 5 and 4 in the opening round, bowed out of the tournament. She never came near that standard of performance in the second round and was beaten by France's Justine Dreher.

With a strong wind still blowing at that time, Lisa Maguire won by 6 and 4, a comparatively easy win for a +3 handicapper against the South Korean-born Australian whose +7 handicap is arguably the lowest in the world.

Maguire was one under par and did not lose a hole until the ninth, winning the first, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth to surge into a five-hole lead with birdies at the fifth and sixth highlighting her marvellous run against an opponent who is the second best female amateur golfer in the world after another South Korean-born player, New Zealand-based Lydia Ko.

Oh must have thought she had turned the tide that had flowed against her when she won both the ninth and 10th to get back to three down but Maguire was not going to let her slip off the hook.

Lisa won the 11th and 12th with pars to restore a five-hole lead. The 13th was halved and then Maguire clinched her victory by winning the 14th for a 6 and 4 margin.

"I putted so well that Su asked me round about the turn if I usually putted as well as this. But I have to say she said it with a smile. In fact, she was the one of the nicest girls I've played with or against. She chatted away and was very good company," said Lisa, who played for the GB and I team in the Curtis Cup match in America three years ago.

She and twin Leona have decided not to make themselves available for selection the Vagliano Trophy match against the Continent of Europe at Chantilly near Paris at the end of this month.

"We have a full enough golf schedule without that," said Lisa who is still at high school. The twins have several options - go to University in Ireland, go to university in American (several US colleges are on their trail) - or to turn professional.

Lisa revealed that she and her sister had practised for the Machynys event by playing over another Jack Nicklaus designed course, the Solheim Cup venue at Killeen Castle, Ireland.

"There are similarities, especially the greens," said Lisa. "I think it has definitely helped us so far."

Stephanie Meadow's second-round exit was something of a shock - beaten by two holes by Justine Dreher.

Meadow had played very well in the rain and the wind of the morning, never losing a hole in beating Lauren Taylor soundly.

The Jordanstown native looked on course for the last 16 when she stood two up at the turn against her French opponent but Dreher put the wheels on her winning comeback by reducing her deficit to only one hole after 13. Then she took Stephanie's measure over the closing holes, finishing two up.

Through with Lisa Maguire to Friday's third round are Alexandra Peters (Notts Ladies) and young Gabriella Cowley (Brockett Hall). Peters had to produce a stirring fight back to survive the morning first round. On her second appearance of the day, she won by 5 and 3 against Emma Henrikson (Sweden).

Cowley won by 2 and 1 against Alessandra Braida (Italy).

The all-English second round tussle between Hayley Davis (Ferndown) and World No 7 Georgia Hall (Remedy Oak) was all square after 13 holes and still level pegging after 18. Hall prevailed at the second extra hole in a quality match neither deserved to lose.

Lauren Hillier, the last Welsh hope of a home win, was three down at the turn and later five holes in arrears against Ines Lescudier (France) but give Lauren Diggle, as we used to know her, her due. She did not throw in the towel and extended the match to the 17th green before admitting defeat by 2 and 1.

A series of extra-holes matches delayed the starting times of the later matches and it was after five pm before the last of the second-round ties were sent on their way.

Leona Maguire, one up at the turn, was pulled back to square by Laura Lornardi who made a costly mistake by three-putting the 15th. That allowed the Curtis Cup player to regain a one-hole lead at a vital stage. The Irish player, one up through halves at the 16th and 17th, doubled her winning margin by taking the 18th.

US college student Emma Carberry from East Sussex figured in an enteraining evening tie with Scotland cap and Stirling student Eilidh Briggs.

All square at the turn, Carberry won the 11th to go one up but lost the 12th and then won the 13th.

Carberry went two up at the 15th but the Scottish physical education student bounced back to win the 16th and halve the 17th.One down on the 18th tee, Briggs' bid to take the tie into extra holes failed gallantly with Carberry winning the hole for a two-hole margin in her favour.

The last of the top eight seeds to fall by the wayside was the No 2, Nanna Madsen from Denmark, beaten in the final tie on the course at just after 9pm by Noemi Jimenez (no relation of Ryder Cup player Miguel Angel Jimenez).This tight tie was all square through the 14th, 15th and 16th before the Spanish player won the 17th with a birdie to be one up on the 18th tee ... only to drive into the lake and lose the hole. Down the 19th they went and Jimenez made no mistake this time to take the last of the 16 places in the third round.

Other surprise results in the evening sunshine included the defeat of the reigning European individual women's champion Celine Boutier from Paris. Ranked 14th in the World, Celine lost by 2 and 1 to a little known - in Britain at least - Hungarian, Csilla Lajtai Rozsa. Boutier, beaten in the British girls championship final at Gullane two or three years back, looked to be coasting to victory with a three-hole lead at the turn but her Hungarian opponent had other ideas and had slashed her deficit to one hole by the 14th tee.