OGBOURNE Downs teenager Ben Newman set out in defence of his Wiltshire Amateur Championship title at North Wilts this morning, writes Ernie Newell.

Newman won a weather-hit championship at Bowood last year by six strokes from former champion Mark Searle (High Post), in a championship where heavy rain washed out the first two rounds at Erlestoke Sands.

Newman, who won the Ogbourne club championship in 2003 when he was only 14, was the first member of the Ogbourne club to win the title since ex-Wiltshire skipper Brian McCallum back in 1982 and, at 16 years nine months, two months younger than the previous winner, Swindon's Ryder Cup star David Howell in 1992.

Fifty-four players embarked on the championship trail this morning.

The leading 33 after the first 36 holes at the Devizes club will qualify for the last two rounds at Cumberwell Park (Bradford-on-Avon) tomorrow.

Newman, a former St John's, Marlborough schoolboy, and Searle, the South Western Counties champion, are expected to be among the leading players again.

Other leading contenders are Miles Mackman, the West of England Amateur Open champion from Broome Manor, David Bauer (Marlborough) and teenage county players Richard Scarrott (Wrag Barn), Matt Swales (Cumberwell Park), John Haugh (South Wilts), Sam Elkins (South Wilts) and Tom Ruddle (Broome Manor).

Three other candidates are county captain Jonathan James (Wrag Barn) and ex-skippers Jeremy Tomlinson (Marlborough) joint third with club-mate Bauer last year and three times a runner-up and Mike White (West Wilts).

James will be attempting to emulate White, who made history by winning the championship during his captaincy in 2004.

Four other players well capable of making their presence felt are Paul Sandry (Broome Manor) and teenagers Sam Matton (Marlborough), Ben Loughrey (Wrag Barn) and new county boys' champion Jack Hiscock (Marlborough).

The leading 16 players in the championship will qualify for the Wiltshire Matchplay Championship at Hamptworth on September 23 and 24.

The 36-hole Wiltshire Colts' Stroke-play Championship was being played alongside today's first rounds at North Wilts.

Ashley Monaghan won last year's championship by edging Newman in an exciting three-hole play-off after they had tied on 148 at Upavon.

n Eleven-year-old Tidworth golfer Hannah Turland braved gale-force winds to win Wiltshire Women's Spring Strokeplay Championship at The Wiltshire club at Wootton Bassett.

She shot a round of 82 to finish three strokes ahead of clubmate Di Gritt and Cumberwell Park champion Claire Hobbs.

Turland is probably the county's youngest spring strokeplay champion and first caught the eye when she won the South West girls' under 15 championship last year and had an impressive debut for Wiltshire in the recent South Western Counties (Northern Division) Championship at Royal Porthcawl.

The Wiltshire's Kerrie Bacon won the Handicap Cup with nett 76.

Jo Jo Candy (Manor House, Castle Combe) was second with 78 and county captain Sue Dix (Kingsdown) third with 79.

Sachiko Yishioka, from Broome Manor, won the Bronze Division's Dorothy Dykes Scratch Cup with 101. Jane Smith (The Wiltshire) came next with 106.

Peggy Gray (West Wilts) won the Bronze Division Taunton Handicap Cup on countback from Edith Rhodie (South Wilts) both scoring nett 86.