Matt Ford will take a one shot lead into the weekend at the Africa Open after carding a second round six under par 66.
With the wind not as strong for the morning starters at the East London Golf Club, the 36 year old took advantage to move to 11 under with six birdies and an eagle.
He failed to produce a second successive flawless round, though, suffering bogies on the ninth and 17th.
Ford, who was about to spend a winter working for Royal Mail before coming through November's Qualifying School at the tenth attempt, said: "I don’t think you can ever get all of it out of the round.
"I missed a short one on 17 and hit a poor tee shot off nine, so those were a couple of mistakes, but you’re always going to make a few of those. I would have taken 11-under at the beginning of the day."
Ford had led by three shots after eagling the par four 428 yard 12th, but Eduardo de la Riva clawed his way back to within one courtesy of birdies on the sixth and seventh, the latter following an excellent chip onto the green.
The Englishman then holed a birdie putt on the 16th, having missed a simple chance to collect a shot on the previous hole, although his hard work was undone when he three-putted the 17th.
A lip-out on the last denied Ford the chance to double his advantage, leaving De la Riva hot on his heels on 10 under.
The Spaniard started on the ninth and began with two dropped shots in his first three holes before eight gains matched Ford’s 66.
"I played a very good round today with good golf and good putts. I am very happy with the first two rounds," De la Riva said.
South Africa have provided all five previous winners of this event and four home players sit inside the top seven on the leaderboard, Jaco van Zyl and Erik van Rooyen setting the example on eight under.
Van Zyl, who finished in a tie for second at last week’s Joburg Open along with David Howell and Kevin Phelan said: "Yesterday was really tough out there and I was very chuffed to pull two-under out of it.
“I got it a lot easier this morning and when that happens you try to capitalise."
Like Van Rooyen, Gregory Havret countered the increase in wind in the afternoon, the Frenchman’s surge boosted by following a fifth birdie with an eagle on the third.
South Africans Neil Schietekat and Trevor Fisher Jnr were one shot further back along with Englishmen Howell and John Parry, Chile’s Mark Tullo plus Maximilian Kieffer, who produced the performance of the day.
After dropping a shot on his first, the ninth, the German collected eight birdies and an eagle to shoot an impressive nine under par 63, trumping Scot Craig Lee’s 64.
Former Ryder Cup player Howell’s 69 was his sixth consecutive round in the sixties on these shores this season.
South Korean Byeong-hun An was five shots off the pace after carding an immaculate seven under 65 that contained two eagles, on the third and 16th.
Irishman Phelan struggled to replicate his opening round, with an early eagle overshadowed by three bogies in four holes to keep him on his overnight five under.
Recently appointed European Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke is nicely positioned following a four under 68, but South Africa Open and Joburg Open winner Andy Sullivan will not be chasing a hat-trick of victories in co-sanctioned events this year having finished five over.
