IT could be a mouthwatering final - but both David Hague and Martin Brown have stressed they must take it one game at a time at the York Union of Golf Clubs' Matchplay Championship this week.

The pair are seeded to meet each other in the showpiece match, following two days of competition at Forest Park tomorrow and York GC on Sunday, but the two lowest handicappers among the eight entrants are not counting their chickens.

Brown meets York's Steven Arundel at the Stockton-on-the-Forest course in his opening round game while Hague must see off Heworth's Jim Batt Jnr. With a limited eight man field not including the likes of Damon Coulson, Julian Taylor or James Cass, the action will then move to Strensall for the semi-final and final.

Defending champion Hague, who beat Cass 5&3 in last year's final, will use the tournament as further preparation for the North of England Open Amateur Championship at Pannal next week and said: "I am quite excited about it. There aren't many low handicap players entered - only Martin Brown - but anyone on the day can beat anyone else.

"If I play as well as I know I can I should be okay. Both courses have got very good greens. York is a bit shorter but I do like it round there and have got some good results in the past. I am looking forward to both."

Victory would further enhance a surge in form which saw Hague win his club championship at Malton & Norton with an astonishing score of 14-under-par after rounds of 66 and 64 at the Welham Park course.

On that phenomenal performance, he added: "I went through a few swing changes with Steve Robinson and they seem to be working. My short game is as good as ever. I wasn't confident a month ago but that's all changed.

"I was shaking when I came off the 36th hole. I putted ridiculously well and had only 21 putts in the second round. I honestly didn't think the score I shot was out there. I think it's the best 36 hole score round Malton.

"I am determined to try and win again but the most important thing is to finish off the season at the North of England Open."

Brown, who has taken the matchplay crown on three occasions, said: "You take it one game at a time and this is the last tournament of my season. I had a poor start to the year and then a really good middle. I did well in the Westwood Trophy and did well in the first division team championship at Hessle.

"I've struggled the last three weeks and it is just one of those things. It's a tournament that I want to win - if I didn't I wouldn't enter it and I like both of the courses, to be honest."