Brave Burford takes favourite the distance

VERONICA BOUGOURD has won many of her 17 island titles by a street, but the latest proved harder to come by than any of the previous. Gill Burford's splendid resistance lasted until the 36th and final hole when she picked the wrong time to bogey and Bougourd, for so long down in the match, holed a four-footer for the win.

'All I wanted to do is make her knees knock,' said Burford while still on the 18th green.

'I could not have been more delighted to have reached the 18th,' added the woman who had threatened to cause one of the biggest shocks of modern times.

Bougourd, almost speechless at the success, agreed it was the hardest of all her championships and was quick to praise her older opponent.

'Gill was playing superbly, scoring so well; she was chipping and putting from everywhere.'

It was, indeed, a fantastic final, with Burford four up after 14 holes of a morning round in which she chipped in for an eagle three at the ninth and covered the front nine in 36.

But back came the clear favourite with three wins in the closing holes to go into lunch just one down.

Six holes into the afternoon round Burford was back to three up and the pressure was really on her opponent.

Like a true champion, she responded magnificently, reeling off wins at the next three holes to get back to allsquare.

Burford hit back to win the 10th, but a birdie into the breeze on 11 was followed by a winning three at the short 12th and, for the first time, the number two seed was in front.

She was now into her stride and her long drives were splitting the fairways, leaving her opponent regularly 30 metres adrift.

Burford was putting her way out of trouble but when her opponent conceded from deep rough behind the 15th green, it was back to all square.

The next two were both halved in pars, but at the last, Burford's seven-wood leaked off the back of the green and she was unable to get up and down in two.

Bougourd's next aim is to transfer an island title into a Channel Islands double.

She meets the Jersey champion, Jenny Deeley, at L'Ancresse over 36 holes on Tuesday.

The bronze division final was more clear-cut, with La Grande Mare's Rose Scott beating Pippa Hudson 9 and 8.