SILVERWARE: Darren Henley with the Berkshire Trophy.

DARREN HENLEY became one of amateur golf's overnight sensa-tions when he won the Berkshire Trophy with glittering 14-under-par figures at the Royal Berkshire club.

To say the 19-year-old Stoneham player was an underdog for one of the game's premier early-season events is an understatement.

Going into this season he was a fringe Hampshire player. His five-shot Berkshire Trophy success now puts him on the fringes of the England team and sends him into the qualifying section of this week's English Stroke-play Championship at Moortown with a real chance of grabbing one of the 74 places on offer.

The Totton teenager produced quality in abundance between the tall pines of Royal Bershire's Blue and Red courses. His total birdie count for the four-round event was 21 - seven of them coming in his second round when his six-under-par 66 propelled him into a lead which he was never to relinquish.

Henley had began with a 69 which included a double bogey at his second last hole. He was so buoyed up by his second round 66 that he began day three with a trio of birdies on his way to another 69.

That round contained just one bogey and Henley went into the last day with a five-shot cushion on the second man.

He answered three bogies with four birdies to leave a field which included England internationals Gary Wolstenholme and Chris Rodgers (winner of the Hampshire Hog) firmly in his wake. Joint second finishers Ed Burliston-Rush and Stephen East were five shots adrift and Henley had become the second Hampshire player in five years to win the Berkshire, the last man being James Knight from the Sandford Springs Club in Basingstoke who is now playing the UK professional circuit.

Henley, whose handicap was instantly adjusted from scratch to plus one, is ambitious to join the professional ranks. He comes from a golfing family in which brother Ryan plays off two and dad Graham is a seven handicapper. They all play at Stoneham. Next stop for Darren is the English Amateur Championship at St Mellion in June and this time the name Henley will demand more than just a passing glance from his rivals.

"I've never won anything before," he says. "I don't think I've even been that close but in four days at Royal Berkshire eveything just came together.

"It's a tight course and by hitting most of the fairways in regulation I gave myself a chance and on the second day, when I took the lead, I holed some good putts. This performance has given me so much more confidence and increased my expectations of what I can now do."

And his father pointed out: "People have been asking why Darren has not been playing in more competitions and it comes down to having no backing. It is not the cost of entering competitions that is the problem but the travelling and accommodation. If there is anyone who could help we would love to hear from them."

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