Falls Church’s Mike Kirby advanced to the semifinals of the Virginia Amateur, rolling to a 5 and 4 win over Jeremy Wells (Hopewell) Friday morning at Belle Haven Country Club. This afternoon, Kirby, a former standout at George Mason who was raised in Virginia Beach, plays Matt Watson (Portsmouth), a 3 and 2 winner over former Virginia Am champ Allen Barber.

The other semifinal matches two-time defending champion Brinson Paolini (Virginia Beach) and Garland Green (Tazewell).

Paolini, a sophomore this fall at Duke, is gunning for an unprecedented third straight Virginia Am title. Trailing Paul Woodson (Powhatan) 2 down through 13 holes, Paolini needed a comeback in the quarterfinal round. He won No. 14 with a birdie 3 and No. 18 with a par 4, to force a playoff, where he won on the 19^th hole with a birdie 4 at the 525-yard 1^st hole, while Woodson made a bogey.

The 36-hole final will be contested Saturday.