David Porter, one of the finest Hampshire amateur players of his generation, struck gold in his last ever county Championship event at Shanklin and Sandown yesterday.

The 20-year-old Stoneham clubman took an afternoon stroll in the sun to beat Hayling Islander Chris Page 6 & 4.

The hard part for the England international was making a final date with his 20-year-old Hampshire team-mate.

Just like last year's Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Channel Islands Championship event, outsiders looking like upstaging the established county stars.

And Porter, who is turning professional at the end of the season, was staring defeat in the face in the semi-finals when Mark Burgess, the tournamen't surprise packet from Liphook, led him through the turn.

But Porter, desperate for the title in this his last championship event, fought back to beat his gallant opponent at the 19th.

It hadn't been much easier for the former Carris Trophy winner in the quarter-finals when he ran up against Stoneham clubmate and championship favourite Ryan Henley.

Predictably it was a battle royal, only resolved at the 20th hole where Henley put his tee shot into the bunker.

Biggest of Page's scalps was the former county champion Paul Chevalier from Guernsey, who had sent county captain Kevin Weeks packing in the quarter-finals. The youngster from Hayling, who is a member of the Rowlands Castle club, solidly removed Chevalier 4 & 2 in the semi-finals.

But Porter took a grip of the final at the fourth where Page put his drive, then his provisional ball into the rough. The Stoneham man was two up through the turned on the with a couple of birdies through the back nine to finish the job at the 14th.

Porter announced before the championship that he is set to embark on a PGA trainees course at the end of the season. He'll look for a club job and Hampshire PGA followers should see him action in 2003.

Former Hampshire amateur champion Martin LeMesurier moved into the top four in the European Challenge Tour order of merit when he finished eighth in the co-sanctioned AA St Omer Open in France.

The Brokenhurst Manor struggled to make the cut but raced through the field with rounds of 68 and 67 to earn around 8,500 euros from a tournament won by Australian Brett Rumford. Salisbury's Andy Beal was 64th.