Archerfield may have changed a bit since the bowmen of King Edward I set up camp here back in ye day but it seems the legacy of that pesky Plantaganet is still lingering about in this neck of the woods. The Hammer of the Scots? The tartan army was certainly given a bit of a trouncing on day two of the Aberdeen Asset Management Paul Lawrie Matchplay Championship as the four remaining home hopefuls in the field all departed with various wounds to lick. Even the tournament host himself was ousted in the second round. Old Longshanks would no doubt have approved.

Throw in the departure of the No 1 seed, Chris Wood, as well as Ryder Cup prospect Matt Fitzpatrick and you had one of those days when the script was shredded into tiny pieces and hurled into the Firth of Forth. Matchplay golf, with all its fickle, fluctuating fortunes, doesn’t do nice predictable outcomes, of course. At least Alex Noren, the Scottish Open champion, ploughed on as the No 2 seed stayed on course for another conquest in the cradle of the game.

Lawrie looked to have done enough to book a place in the third round as he manoeuvred himself into a two hole lead with just three to play against Australia’s Richard Green but the 1999 Open champion was dragged back to all square on the last and was beaten down the first extra hole. Craig Lee lost at the 20th to Spain’s Nacho Elvira while, in the afternoon’s third round tussles, Marc Warren’s building momentum was halted by the impressive South African Haydn Porteous. Warren had burst out the of the blocks like something you’d see at the Shawfield dugs and birdied his first three holes to surge into a three hole lead but Porteous stayed calm, chiselled away at the Scot’s advantage and eventually won by one hole. “It’s hard to stay positive when you’re three down after four but I kept fighting,” said Porteous, whose eagle on the 11th aided his comeback.

The last time Richie Ramsay faced Oliver Fisher was in the Amateur Championship at Royal Birkdale back in 2005. “That’s some memory you’ve got,” said Fisher to the golf writers who often can’t remember what they wolfed down at afternoon tea. Fisher won that particular joust over a decade ago and the 27-year-old triumphed again here as he packed seven birdies into a 3&1 victory. Languishing down in 154th spot on the Race to Dubai, Fisher could do with a good result to safeguard his playing rights but having been on the main circuit since 2007, he’s not panicking just yet. “I’ve been out here long enough to know that I need to be patient and realise that the good weeks will come,” he reasoned.

The English advance was bolstered by James Morrison, whose stuttering summer has been completely galvanised by the switch from strokeplay to matchplay. In his previous five events, the 31-year-old had missed every cut, had been a cumulative 43-over-par and hadn’t posted a score better than 74. A 62 in the pre-tournament Pro-Am on Wednesday hinted at better things to come and since getting stuck into frontline combat in the head-to-head battles, he is 18-under for the 43 holes he has played so far. A change really can do you the power of good. So, it seems, can a decent kick at the ba’ in the pub. “My coach and myself had a few beers in New York after the PGA Championship and figured out what was wrong,” said the two-time European Tour winner who beat compatriot Graeme Storm 4&3 in the morning before carving out a similar margin of victory over Northern Ireland’s Michael Hoey in the last 16. “My swing was just getting short and flat. I feel like my game is back on the straight and narrow now. It’s weird though. I haven’t broken par for five week on tour but I’m well under this week. It’s a stupid game. I said to my wife before this event ‘should I play?’ and she said that matchplay will be good for me and something different. It’s kind of working.”

Fitzpatrick’s challenge hit the buffers as he lost four of the first six holes to Spain’s Alejandro Canizares en route to a 4&3 defeat while Noren made a late move in his third round duel with Elvira and won the 15th and 16th to claim a hard-earned 2&1 success.