Marshall is in the hunt after solid first round

Norfolk's Andy Marshall, pictured, fired a level par 70 to stand tied in 10th place after the first round of the European Tour event in Majorca yesterday.

The Dereham golfer's birdie on the fourth was cancelled out by a bogey on the 14th, leaving him as one of 14 players on level terms after the first round.

South African James Kingston capitalised on the best of the conditions to take the first round lead.

Out on the Pula course early before the wind really picked up, the 44-year-old returned a five under par 65 at the Iberdrola Open Cala Millor Mallorca.

Kingston ended the day two in front of Spaniard Alvaro Velasco, with Ireland's Gary Murphy, Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin, Spain's Alejandro Canizares and Norwegian Thorbjorn Olesen one further back.

The two-time Tour winner said: "I didn't have a nice day out there yesterday and it's not one of my favourites, but I was hitting it so well that it was actually an easy round of 65.

"It's tricky even without a wind, but when you play nicely you can see the scores."

Kingston, who birdied three of his last six holes as things became more blustery, is only recently back from a seven-week break during which he visited Zambia and Mozambique with friends and family.

Velasco lost his Tour card last season and did not even make the 72-hole cut at the qualifying school in November.

His ranking on the Spanish order of merit earned him his place in the tournament and he came home in 32 with birdies at the first, fourth and sixth.

Murphy was another back at the school and, although the 37-year-old from Kilkenny made it through, he has since managed to survive only two cuts in 10 starts.

"I've been struggling with the groove change,'' he said.

"I'm on my fifth set of irons, but have finally got some I feel are doing what they should do.''

He was four under after seven, gave all the shots back, but then birdied the seventh and eighth to climb back into a tie for third.