The ringing of her alarm clock at 5.30am was perhaps not the most welcome of sounds.

A few hours later, however, the alarm bells were ringing among Catriona Matthew's title rivals as she moved ominously to the head of the field during the second round of the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open at Archerfield Links.

With the kind of relaxed, calm and composed mindset usually reserved for a Buddhist retreat, Matthew, out in the first group of the morning, set the standard with a purposeful five-under 67 in the cold, bright and breezy conditions over the Fidra Links for a six-under 138, as she opened up a three-stroke advantage over England's Liz Young and Anne-Lise Caudal of France with 18 holes to play.

Two years ago, Matthew led this event by four at a similar stage and cantered to a staggering 10-shot triumph. "That was a fantastic achievement but that kind of win is almost a one-off in a career," reflected the world No 10.

The way she is playing, though, don't bet against her emulating that formidable feat. A fortnight after helping Europe win the Solheim Cup in Denver, North Berwick-based Matthew looks set for more glory in her own backyard. Blasting off from the 10th tee at 7.30am, the going was decidedly chilly and a bogey on her opening hole did little to warm the cockles.

"I managed to hack my way up there," she noted with a smile. A birdie on the 11th, where she got up and down from the greenside bunker, swiftly repaired the damage, however, and a further five gains would follow during a neatly constructed round, with putts of 20 feet on the fifth and 25 feet on the seventh illuminating proceedings.

It was another polished, profitable perform-ance from Scotland's highest-ranked golfer on the global stage and one that thrust the former Women's British Open champion into a commanding position. The rest tried their best to keep clinging to her coat tails. Young put in a spirited showing and her four-under 68 hoisted her into a share of second on a three-under tally. Having been coasting along nicely in round one, only to finish with four straight bogeys, the 30-year-old from Southampton was eager to make amends yesterday and the former Curtis Cup player's five-birdie round helped put a smile back on her face. The grimacing had not completely disappeared, mind you. "I strained tendons in my ankle last week and I'm still having to put ice on it," revealed the hirpling Young, whose share of fourth in the 2011 Scottish Open remains the equal-highest finish of her Ladies European Tour career.

Bothwell Castle's tour rookie Pamela Pretswell mounted a salvage operation to move up to the fringes of the top 10 on 145. The 24-year-old, who leaked three shots over the closing two holes of her first round, continued to ship strokes during the front-nine of her second 18 but came home in three-under for a one-under 71. Nairn's Kelsey MacDonald, who turned professional this year, fired a battling 69 for a 146 to finish alongside defending champion, Carly Booth, and the overnight leader Cassandra Kirkland, who slithered off the summit with a 78. Dunblane's Heather MacRae, sharing fifth after an opening 70, stumbled to a ruinous 80 and toppled down the order.