ALISON NICHOLAS prompted suspicions of the £110,000 Guardian Irish Open becoming a double act when she claimed the first round lead with a three under par 69 at Citywest yesterday. Though making her first appearance in the event, the diminutive English player is familiar as a foursomes partners for the defending champion, Laura Davies.

A fresh breeze brushed the for most of the day but, happily, conditions for the enthusiastic galleries remained dry until the late afternoon. Showers came at that stage but all of the leading challengers had already completed their work, with the exception of the late finishing Sophie Eriksson.

As it happened, a birdie at the long 12th left the 24 year old Swede tied with Nicholas for the lead, but she bogeyed the long 13th and the 18th to drop into fifth place. So, Trish Johnson shared second place with Allison Shapcott, while Davies was very much in contention for her third successive victory here after an opening 71.

Shapcott, making her first tournament appearance of the season, is the fiancee of European Tour player Paul McGinley. Indeed, McGinley watched her from the other side of the ropes in a reversal of their roles during the British Open at Royal Lytham last weekend.

"No, I didn't get any important tips from Paul, nor has he loaned me his favourite putter or anything like that," she said with a smile. "In fact we tend not to interfere in each other's game."

She added. "I'm more or less in semi retirement but I still like the odd involvement. I hope to prequalify for the British Open next month."

One over par at the turn, she got back to level par by hitting a nine iron dead at the 331 yard 10th. She then went on to sink putts of 10 feet and 20 feet for birdies at the 14th and 16th. "I hit the ball solidly and am obviously pleased with my position," she said afterwards.

A typically courageous shot, which didn't quite work, cost Davies a closing bogey in a round of 71. After blocking her drive into the fairway bunker on the right of the 18th fairway, she took on a recovery shot of 182 yards, over water to the green. But a thinned five iron caught the lip of the trap with the result that the ball found a watery grave. Indeed, she did well to pitch and putt for a five.

Prior to that, the champion had done more than enough to compensate for an outward 38 with birdies at four out of six holes on the homeward journey. Her prodigious power was very much in evidence at the 331 yard 10th where her second shot involved no more than a 30 foot chip to set up a birdie.

Indeed, she again showed her liking for the greens "they re very like the practice one I have at home" at the next, where she sank a 20 footer, while a 12 footer went down at the 15th. The only birdie on her outward journey came at the severe dog leg, 426 yard eighth, where she believes she could drive the green with wind assistance. And she also carried the corner at the similarly shaped ninth.

"I love those sort of holes where the risk is high but the reward is attractive," she said. "I'm the sort of player who looks for the short cut every time." She admitted concern, however, over her problems off the tee into a left to right wind. "I don't seem to be able to handle that wind very well I've got to try and combat it," she said.

Davies also acknowledged that she had been starting rather slowly in recent tournaments. But by way of indicating that she means business this week, she added. "I believe there is a very low number out there on that course. A 64 or 65 is certainly not out of the question.

Whatever about those sort of figures, Aideen Rogers was comfortably in line to break 70 when she reached the turn on 34, two under par. And she retained that position after 14 holes. On the 15th, however, she incurred a penalty stroke for taking too long (95 seconds) over her second shot and she later blamed the upset for a three putt bogey at the next.

David Rollo, the tournament director, later claimed that by the time the Rogers group left the 13th green they were 16 minutes "in excess of the timing schedule" and four minutes behind the group in front. Under a WPGET change of rule for this season, players need not be warned prior to the imposition of a penalty for slow play.

"I think that's unfair they should go back to having a warning system," said the Dubliner, after a round of 72. Apparently her problem at the 15th concerned a difficult second shot out of a deep divot mark, leading to a protracted consultation with her father, Kevin, who was acting as her caddie.

Nicholas, who has won four out of six Solheim Cup foursomes matches as Davies's partner, making them the most successful pairing of the tournament, has not been here since competing in the old Irish Open at Clandeboye in 1984. Standing five feet "in my golf spikes", she has splendidly overcome her lack of height to win 15 tournaments, including last year's Scottish Open.

She had a flying start yesterday, with birdies at the opening three holes, which were the product of two eight foot pulls and a wedge to six inches at the long third. She later wedged to two feet at the seventh to reach the turn in a best of the day 32. Putting lapses, however, inhibited further progress on the homeward journey.

"The rough is brutal it's fair but it's brutal," she said afterwards. "If Laura can hardly move the hall 50 yards out of it, what chance have I." Lisa Jensen, a 30 year old American professional, found a rather tidy way of circumventing such problems when she holed in one with a five iron at the 150 yard second.