Irish champion Alison Coffey, slipped down the leaderboard in the European women's amateur championship over the Amber Baltic course in Poland yesterday after a hugely disappointing round of 76 - four over par.

That gave her a 54-hole aggregate of 219, some 11 strokes behind runaway leader, Tamia Elosegui, the Spanish title holder and six outside the medal positions.

Very rarely can one recall a day when Coffey, normally a splendid stroke player, did not have a birdie. She recorded 14 pars and four bogeys.

Things are even worse for Miltown's Suzanne O'Brien , who went into the championship with high hopes after her excellent season, but she took 77 yesterday for a 225 aggregate and all she can play for now is pride.