Max Blake denied Douglas Johns trophy by a single shot

Corhampton’s Max Blake, who hails from Botley, missed out by just a shot as Kent’s Justin Chenu took the trophy with a two-under-par total – just one stroke less than Blake’s total.

Blake was tied for the lead after the first round in Buckinghamshire, after posting a one-under-par 68, with Stoneham’s Alfie Batten trailing by two shots in fourth place at lunch.

Things went even better for Blake on the front nine in the first round as he reeled off three birdies in the first six holes, having negotiated two of the toughest holes on the course – the fifth and seventh – in par.

Corhampton’s Max Blake on the first tee in the second round of the South East Boys Qualifier at Clandon Regis GC. (Image: Andrew Griffin) Blake, who represented Hampshire in the South East Boys Qualifier for the English Boys Finals at Clandon Regis earlier in the month, got to four-under with a four at the par-five 13th.

But Harewood’s tough reputation bit back as he lost shots at the 14th, 16th and 18th to force him into a three-way share of the lead at lunch.

Chenu had made five birdies in his opening round, and also dropped shots at the 16th and 18th to join Harry Fryer, also from Kent, at the top of the leaderboard.

The winner was likely to be the first player not to blink and Chenu and Fryer strode into a two-shot advantage with two early birdies, while Max could only respond with a fine two at the short third.

He dropped further behind with back-to-back birdies at the fifth and sixth, and another shot went at the 12th.

Chenu led by one at the turn after Fryer’s mistake at the sixth, and the lead became two with another shot going at the 11th for Fryer.

A dropped shot at the 12th left Blake three behind, but he bounced back brilliantly with a second birdie at the par-five 13th before an excellent approach at the par-three 15th set up a birdie that got him back to one-under.

Blake parred in while Chenu – who had got to three-under courtesy of a birdie-three at the 14th – dropped back to one-under after a mistake at the 16th.

But two more pars were enough to make him just the third Kent junior to take the Douglas Johns.

Batten, a regular in the Hampshire U16 squad, who plays for the Southampton club’s men’s scratch team, even though he is still just 14, took third place after a 68 after lunch to finish two back on level-par.

His second round 68 was one of only three sub-par rounds in the afternoon, from the 55-strong field.

Wellow’s Farren Porter, last year’s Hampshire U14s champion, finished 32nd with rounds of 75 and 80.

Only North Hants’ Ryder Cup hero Justin Rose, Walker Cup player Sam Hutsby, from Lee-on-the-Solent, and Brokenhurst Manor’s Arrun Singh-Brar, have won the Douglas Johns as a Hampshire junior since the competition was created in 1993.

The Douglas Johns honours board bears a number of future Tour stars including Rose (1995), Oliver Fisher, Alex Fitzpatrick – brother of US Open winner Matt – and the Marco Penge, who hailed from Sussex at the time of his triumph in 2013.

All three players had to miss the Hampshire Junior Championships as the two events clashed.