A SENSE of Justice prevailed over the Hampshire Junior, Boys and Youth Golf Championship at Petersfield yesterday.

Shaun Justice, 17-year-old Stoneham and Andover clubman, took the youth (under 21 title) by three shots, balancing the books after a narrow defeat in last month's Courage Trophy.

Justice, who learned to play his golf at his home town Andover club then moved to Stoneham to experience stiffer competition, was the only player in a big field to better par for the 36-hole event.

He was two over through the first 12 holes of his morning round then birdied four of his last five to lead the first round by two shots from Dummer's Darren Lovegrove.

Two of the favourtes David Butwell and Mark Thistleton were seemingly out of it after struggling to rounds of 76 and 79 respectively.

Although conditions got tougher as the temperatures dropped and the wind rose in the afternoon, both boys improved, Thistleton impressively so with a two-under-par 70, but even that couldn't get him into the top three.

Justice wasn't for budging, though. He began his second round well with a birdie at the second and picked up two more shots at the tenth and 11th to move to five under.

He was by then ahead by a country mile and could afford to bogey 12, 13 and 16 and still win the title by three shots from his playing partner Chris Page (Hayling) who followed a first round 75 with a 70.

Meon Valley's Sam Boyes, whose sister Tracey is one of Hampshire women's top young players, was third with two rounds of 73.

Courgage Trophy winner Sean Byrne (Meon Valley) just scraped into the top ten. Channel Islander Laurence Hansford had the day's best score, a three under par 69, an incredible 13-shot improvement on his first round effort.

The junior (under 14) title went Petersfield's Steven Mitchell with rounds of 76 and 78.

Leading scores: 142 S Justice (Stoneham) 70 & 72. 145 C Page (Hayling) 75 70, 146 S Boyes (Meon Valley) 73 73. 149 K Hodge (Army) 78 71, M Thistleton (Hayling) 79 70. 150 M Parkman (Royal Jersey) 76 74, D Butwell (Lee-on-Solent) 76 74. 151 L Hansford ( R Jersey) 82 69, C Kilgannon (Royal Winchester) 78 73, S Byrne (Meon Valley) 77 74, D Lovegrove (Dummer 72 79.

The Hampshire Boys team selected aferwards to play in the South East Qualifying Round of the County Championship will be: D Butwell (Captain), S Justice, M Parkman, M Buley (Royal Winchester), C Kilgannon, S Boyes.

lHampshire's Kirsty Taylor was a top 20 finisher in the Italian Open un Florece.

The former county champion from Overton had rounds of 74 72 68 and 75 to finish in a tie for 19th place. She had climbed up to second place after her third round 68.

Winner of the European Ladies Tour event was the Danish player Ibben Tinning.