A QUARTER of a century after his first triumph, Jamie Miller has once again got his hands on the York Union of Golf Clubs’ Amateur Championship trophy.

The Fulford Golf Club stalwart clinched his third title with successive 70s at Pike Hills GC - a two-under-par total - to hold off Malton & Norton’s David Hague by a shot (70, 71).

Reigning champion Martin Brown produced a spirited defence of his crown, finishing third on his home course with rounds of 70 and 72.

With Miller, Hague and Brown all tied following the first round, the stage was set for a titanic battle in the afternoon as the players battled scorching temperatures and firm, fast conditions.

Consecutive bogeys at the fourth, fifth and sixth holes, along with a double bogey at the par-three ninth, seemed to have struck a hammer blow to his chances but Miller responded with a sublime inward nine.

He picked up shots at the 13th, 15th and 16th in a closing 32 that saw him add to the title he first won as an 18-year-old in 1991 and then claim again six years later.

A modest Miller, who plays off plus-one, said: “It was fantastic. I didn’t know it had been 25 years since the first victory. I really enjoyed it. It’s difficult with family and work but I try and play as much as I can.

“I try to practise as much as I can. I don't get in the gym very often, which is a big factor these days - as is diet.

“I’m not the perfect guy for a dietician but I try my hardest and do what I can. I don’t hit it as well as I used to but you get it around.”

On recovering from his setback at the turn, he added: “I pulled it left off the tee into the trees but when I walked there it was perfect. It was a simple straightforward shot. I didn’t get it, duffed it, hit a good chip and then missed the putt.

“The next thing, you’ve made a double and you are a bit shellshocked. But you’ve got to keep going because you never know what’s going to happen from one hole to the next.”

Hague got his second round off to a blistering start with birdies at the first and second but a topsy-turvy front line saw him record only two pars in an outward 35.

After a birdie at the 11th split bogeys at the tenth and 12th, the Welham Park-based talent parred his way home to miss out by the narrowest of margins.

Brown suffered a treble-bogey seven on the fourth, fighting back manfully with birdies on the sixth, 11th and 15th before a dropped shot at the 16th proved critical.

Meanwhile, Nick Audsley shot an impressive nett 67 to take the Seward Trophy, competed for on Amateur Championship day by the York Union’s juniors.

The York GC youngster, who plays off 13, was two shots clear of club compatriot James Kay with Malton & Norton’s Josh Stead in third a shot further back.

Audsley, 12, said: “It was very tough out there and I was very surprised with myself about how I played. It’s the biggest tournament I have won by a long way.

“It was definitely hard - because the greens were so hard it was difficult to stop them and you had to run them up. It was a lot harder to control and get it close.”