Open 2015: Ashley Chesters has happy Sunday at St Andrews

Midlanders Ashley Chesters and Andy Sullivan made a significant move up the Open leaderboard as they cashed in on a mostly calm morning at St Andrews.

Playing together in the third round, Sullivan's four-under 68 was beaten by his former amateur team-mate and rival Chesters, who carded a 67.

Between them, their private two-ball brought eight birdies and two eagles.

"I've just to go do as well as I can now tomorrow and see what happens," Chesters told BBC Radio Shropshire.

Chesters' efforts brought him back level on six under with Paul Dunne, his main rival for the Open Silver Medal for finishing this week's top amateur - but he had finished his round before the young Irishman went out.

Paired together for the third round running after all the weather delays of the previous two days, having been tied together at the start of the round on one under, the two Midlanders made contrasting starts.

While European Tour regular Sullivan, 29, from Nuneaton, suffered a double bogey at the second, 25-year-old Chesters, from Shropshire, made birdie.

Chesters then picked up another at the third, before eagling the long fifth and adding another birdie at the eighth to go out in 31.

Sullivan recovered from his early woes in what he called a "mixed bag of a round" to record three birdies of his own to go out in 35, before coming alive on the back nine.

While Chesters made five consecutive pars, Sullivan birdied the 12th, then holed his approach shot for an eagle three at the long 14th, adding another birdie at 17, where Chesters bogeyed.

But roles were reversed at 18, when Sullivan dropped a shot and, three days after his double bogey completed a run of four lost three shots in three holes, Chesters' long birdie putt this time sneaked in the back door.

"I wasn't in the best of moods the other day after that double in the first round, but finishing with a birdie always cheers you up, however you play," Chesters added.

"It tried to go out the other side, but thankfully it dropped in this time - and it made up for the bogey on 17.

"The weather was a lot better and we got lucky with the rain as, when the worst of it came over, we were stuck on the 14th tee and missed it.

"There was hardly any wind and, although I'd not been hitting it very well on the range before we went out, I got off to a pretty good start and managed to hang onto it this time."