Sam Parsons became just the second Blackmoor member to win the Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Channel Islands Amateur Championship with a superb scrambling display against county veteran Ryan Henley.

The 46-year-old from Stoneham was bidding to become the second-most successful player in the 130-year history of the county championships by claiming a fifth Sloane-Stanley Challenge Cup.

But Parsons, who joined Blackmoor nine years ago, put the four-time winner under huge pressure on the back nine to seal a 3&1 win in front of some three dozen Blackmoor members who came out to support him in his first final.

Parsons found it hard to hold back the tears as he explained what had given him the belief and confidence to finally show that he has the game to match the likes of Corhampton’s Walker Cup ace Scott Gregory, who he played golf with at Waterlooville.

Sam said: “I was a bit older than the likes of Scott, but I have been in the county South East League team on and off for the past six years.

“It’s a different kind of pressure playing for the county – you really don’t want to let your team-mates down, but playing under that kind of pressure definitely helped me when it came to playing against Ryan.

“I don’t know Ryan as well as some of the guys in the county team. But he’s really up there with the best, so I had to play well to beat him.

“Becoming a dad in February has changed me. It’s given me a bit more perspective about how important golf is, or rather isn’t, in the grand scheme of things.”

Parsons’ mettle was fully tested in the early exchanges as Henley, who beat Liphook’s Darren Walkley 4&3 at Hockley a year ago, went two down after three holes.

Parsons picked up the sixth and seventh to get back to all-square only for the Southampton player to make a birdie fourth at the first of only two par-fives on the heathland course.

The home favourite sank a seven-footer to hit straight back at the short ninth, and went in front for the first time at the 11th courtesy of a par as Henley missed another green.

At the long par-three 15th Parsons doubled his lead after Henley failed to get up-and-down after going long again on the raised green.

He then had to make a 15-footer for birdie on the 16th after Parsons hit his approach stiff, but then found the bunker on the par-three 17th.

Henley conceded with a snaking putt of nearly 20 feet for the half, after Parsons rolled his birdie effort up to the hole to make Parsons the second Blackmoor county champion.

It was the tenth time Blackmoor had hosted the championship. Their only champion was Stuart Archibald in 2006.

Liphook’s Sam West was the other big winner of the weekend as the former English Schools’ under-16 champion claimed the Pechell Salver for the best qualifying score, shooting rounds of 67 and 68 to finish on three-under.

That was one better than North Hants’ James Atkins, who works as part of the management team at Wentworth, and also earned him the Hampshire Colts (under-21) title and the Hunt Salver for the best 18-hole score by an under-21 player.

West booked his quarter-final spot with a 5&4 win over Stoneham’s Channel League team player Matt Thomas, but then lost 5&3 to Rowlands Castle’s four-time finalist Tom Robson.

Parsons beat Hampshire captain Toby Burden (Hayling) 3&1 and then knocked out county junior Charlie Preston (Hartley Wintney) on the last to book his semi-final clash with Robson, which he settled with a monster birdie putt down the treacherous 18th green.

There was success for Blackmoor in the three medal rounds for higher handicap players – Robbie Boxall won the Francis Holmes Salver with a 72, having won the handicap prize in 2013, which went this year to Ray Daniels with a fine 68.

Senior John Morris won the Hampshire Bowl with a stableford score of 37, pipping Niall Hall by a point. The latter was also runner-up in the Diamond Jubilee.

By Andrew Griffin