Elliott and Pestell set the pace at Bishop’s Stortford.

Crue Elliott (above) of Sandy Lodge, the 2013 PGA East Anglian Open champion, and Andrew Pestell of Chelmsford are setting the pace after the first round of the Weston Homes plc/Bishop’s Stortford Classic. Both had rounds of four-under-par 67.

There are 19 players within four shots of the leaders. Closest challengers, one shot behind, are Stuart Brown (Orton Meadows), Thomas Obergan (Berkhamsted), Sean Whiffin (The Hertfordshire) and Andrew Collison (Bungay and Waveney Valley).

Collison, director of golf at his club, has limited opportunity for playing these days but still produced a classy round that included a run of six birdies between the sixth and 14^th holes. Collison won three European Challenge Tour titles in the 1990s.

Last year's Order of Merit winner Mark Hooper of The Rayleigh Club, who finished joint 38^th in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth last month, is handily placed three shots off the pace. He has nine players to overtake if he is to win the first of the six PGA in England East Order of Merit events of the year.

The top three players at the end of the season will qualify for the Titleist PGA Play-offs in Turkey. The leading 10 players out of 24 in that event will play at Wentworth in 2015.

Jason Levermore (Channels), who has twice made the cut at Wentworth but not this year, is within striking distance after his round 71. Ian Ellis (Great Yarmouth and Caister), who also played at Wentworth last month, has ground to make up after a two-over-par round of 73 which left him in joint 27^th place.