Liphook’s Darren Walkley will attempt to join the list of golfers with more than one Sloane Stanley Challenge Cup to their name, while Blackmoor’s Sam Parsons attempts to become the first player since 1982 to defend the Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Channel Islands Amateur Championship crown this weekend.

Walkley claimed the famous trophy back in 2015, beating Rowlands Castle’s Tom Robson in the final at Brokenhurst Manor.

He turned pro at the end of that season, and after an unsuccessful attempt to reach the final stage of the European Tour Qualifying School, he settled for several seasons on the EuroPro Tour, before switching his efforts on reaching the European Challenge Tour via the German-based Pro Tour circuit.

A number of the leading European Tour prospects were playing those events on the continent in the 2019-20 season when Walkley called time on his professional career, with a young family to provide for.

Walkey returned to the amateur ranks with a bang just a couple of years ago, losing a play-off for the prestigious Selborne Salver in 2023.

He then missed out on a second county championship when losing that summer’s final at Hockley to Stoneham’s Ryan Henley, who made it four career wins, to become the joint-third most successful golfer in Hampshire Golf’s 132-year history.

Last year at Blackmoor, it was Parsons who stole the show, stopping Henley from becoming the first player to defend the title since Brian Winteridge claimed his fourth win in 1982, at Royal Jersey.

Parsons carried the pressure of a large crowd of members from the host club urging their man to become just the second champion from Blackmoor since the club was founded in 1913.

It was the tenth time the Whitehill club had hosted the county championship but both Walkley and Parsons will need their “sea legs” if they are to become one of the 16 players who have two Sloane-Stanleys or more to their name.

This weekend sees Shanklin & Sandown host the championship for a 12th time – the same number as Liphook – with only Hayling (16) and Stoneham (13) having hosted the event more since the first championship was held at Royal Winchester in 1894, when the famous amateur Freddie Tait – a Scottish soldier stationed at Aldershot – lifted the trophy.

The only other Liphook player in the 56-man field is former county first-team player Conor Richards, who won the Hampshire Junior Championship ten years ago, when he was a junior at Shanklin.

Walkley was in action for Hampshire against Kent in the opening South East League match of the season last week.

The 35-year-old got off to a fast start partnering county captain Toby Burden in their foursomes win, which helped Hampshire to a 3-1 lead at lunch.

But bidding for a third Daily Telegraph Salver in three years – for the first time since Hampshire achieved the feat in 2002 – the hosts were pegged back in the afternoon singles, as Kent claimed five of the eight points at stake.

Walkley lost 4&3 in the anchor match leaving Burden as the last-man standing to claim the half with a clutch putt on the last from four feet for a half as Kent’s former England junior Jacob Kelso missed an eight-footer for the outright win and two points.

By Andrew Griffin