Stoneham's Ryan Henley is a man with a mission this weekend. Tomorrow he will be defending his title when he plays in the Selborne Salver at Blackmoor.

On Sunday, he will return for the Hampshire Hog at the North Hants club, Fleet, where last year he annexed the Hampshire Salver for best four-round aggregate in the two scratch competitions, av-eraging 68 over the weekend.

The field for the 2006 contest at Blackmoor is a strong as ever, with four dozen of the 66-strong field off a plus handicap and another ten off scratch.

The 2005 event produced its first home-grown winner since the mid-90s when Henley shot 67, 70 to win by one shot from Ferndown's Ben Harvey and by two from county colleague Martin Young (Brokenhurst Manor).

Henley, whose younger brother Darren, now a pro, was twice a runner-up, just keeps getting getter.

Two months after his victory, he returned to Blackmoor to win the Hampshire County Championship.

Now off +2.7, he could well pull off the first repeat win since the great Peter McEvoy in 1979-80.

Two of the field are off +3.6 exact, playing off a rarefied +4. Ross McGowan (Banstead Downs) was 2005 South of England champion and made the quarter-finals of the English Amateur, while James Crampton (Spalding) was second in the Brabazon last time out.

Crampton was selected for the 2005 Home Internationals, as were Jamie Moul (Stoke-by-Nayland) and Lawrence Dodd (Thetford), two Salver regulars.

Moul, still only 21, plays off +3, as does Dodd, who made an early impression last year when he captured the Hampshire Hog at North Hants. His day then had a neat symmetry, with his two 66s made up of halves of 33.

Leatherhead's Adam Gee also had a splendid season, winning the Berkshire Trophy and finishing second in the South African Amateur and the Berkhamsted, as well as fourth in the Lytham Trophy. Off +2.7, he will be hoping his form has survived the winter.

Son of the redoubtable Roger, nine times Wiltshire champion, Mark Searle, off +2.6, is a graduate of Tennessee State University. Last year, he replicated his father's feats by winning his home county crown and was fourth in the Lagonda, so he certainly has the pedigree.

Two young men to watch are Thomas Haylock (The Hertfordshire), who won the 2005 Carris Trophy and Southeast Championship and finished fourth in the McEvoy, and Daniel Brooks (Mill Hill), who was second in the Carris and a member of the British Boys' squad.

Other Hampshire interest is supplied by Mark Thistleton (Hayling) and Richard Elmes (Stoneham), two former county champions, Steven Katterhorn (Corhampton), Jon Young (Brokenhurst Manor) and Sam Boyes (Stoneham)

Blackmoor itself is well-represented, through Stuart Archibald, a +2 man, and Mark Burgess, who won the club's qualifying competition with a 67.

A notable absentee is Lee-on-the-Solent's Sam Hutsby, who is continuing his preparations for next week's Spanish Open, having earned an invite through his stunning victory in the Spanish Amateur Championship earlier this year.