Two closing birdies gave twice winner Simon Dyson the lead again when the KLM Open resumed in The Netherlands.
Among the players unable to complete his second round on Friday following earlier delays, Irish Open champion Dyson added a 66 to his opening 65 to reach halfway on the nine under par mark of 131.
Joint first-round leader Marcel Siem was one behind after a 67, while tied for third on seven under were Indian Shiv Kapur and Dyson's fellow Englishman David Lynn.
Rory McIlroy shot 65 on Friday to be five under, with World Number Two Lee Westwood only one further back, but defending champion Martin Kaymer surprisingly missed the cut.
Runner-up to Thomas Björn in Switzerland last weekend, Kaymer could only manage rounds of 74 and 69 for a three over total - three too many.
“I am hitting the ball well and keeping it in play so we’ll see how it goes this afternoon,” said Dyson.
“I am going to see if maybe someone will lend me their car so I can maybe get an hour’s sleep or something in before I have to go back out later on!”
They bogeyed to slip to four and three under respectively, while South African James Kingston double-bogeyed it and fell back alongside McIlroy.
In contrast Dubliner Paul McGinley and England's Richard Bland had three early birdies and climbed to joint seventh place on five under.