Paul Fairminer won the Sussex Mid-Age Championship and broke the amateur course record within a few days of taking over as director of golf at Cowdray Park.

The event that attracted 29 entries is for over-35s and Farminer, 38, a three- handicapper at Cowdray, spreadeagled the field at halfway with a 66.

His two nearest rivals lay eight strokes behind as he fired four birdies and 14 pars.

Three birdies came in an electrifying burst at the sixth, seventh and eighth holes with the last at the 16th.

Another adorned his card at the start of the second round. He said: "The reaction to the morning started to set in after that. I tried not to do anything bad that might affect my swing, but the wind also got up and I took 77."

However, a 143 aggregate was eight strokes better than runner-up Kevin Ruffle from Ham Manor and for Fairminer it was a case of third time lucky. The 66 was the best round of his life after 24 years playing and clipped one stroke off the old record.

Recalling his disaster-strewn second round, Fairminer said: "I had two shanks in a row on the sixth with a sand iron But then I holed a 30-footer for a bogey five. Altogether I dropped six shots on the front nine and one coming back."

Yet, the week before, Fairminer won the club championship for the third time with rounds of 69 and 72 for 141 as he pipped Sean Gallagher (70, 72) by one stroke.

With an exact handicap of three, Fairminer is the lowest marker at Cowdray which is astonishing as he recently spent 18 months backpacking round the world. He said: "I thought on coming back that my golf would be struggling. But because I had been playing for almost a lifetime, I wasn't too far off the pace."

Leading scores: 143 Paul Fairminer (Cowdray Park), 66, 77. 151 Kevin Ruffle (Ham Manor), 78, 73. 152 Andy Gale (Lewes), 74, 78. 153 Andrew Hull (Haywards Heath), 77, 76. 154 Gordon Simpson (Goodwood Park), 77, 77; John Hillyer (Goodwood Park), 75, 79; Richard Betts (Mannings Heath), 77, 77. 156 Chris Bladen (Hill Barn), 75, 81. Best AM: Paul Fairminer (Cowdray Park), 66. Best PM: Kevin Ruffle (Ham Manor), 73.

PAUL Plant (East Brighton) won his fifth Brighton and District GS Championship with a brace of 69s at Brighton and Hove.

Plant, winner in 1994, 1996, 1997 and 1999, dedicated the win to his new son, named Ralph, after his father, who died two years ago.

Despite good conditions, only Steve Nielsen (West Hove) broke par all day. He opened with a 66 to lead Plant by three shots and Steven Stark, of the host club, by four.

Nielsen's round included one birdie on the front nine cancelled out by one bogey and, starting with birdies at ten and 11, he bogied the 13th and promptly birdied 14 and 16 only to drop a shot at the last.

Plant, determined to reduce a three-shot deficit from the morning, played a steady first nine to reach the turn in level par.

The last nine was completed with eight pars and a bogey at the Drop Hole.

Meanwhile, Nielsen was three-putting his way round the course and ended with a miserable 77.

On the other hand, Stark was out in level par, only to drop shots at the 12th and 13th. He picked up with a birdie at the next to finish on 140 to be runner-up again.

In the junior championship, Ben Gayton won with an impressive 143, five shots clear of The Dyke's Michael Mudie.

Individual championship: 1 Paul Plant (East Brighton) 138 (69, 69); 2 Steven Stark (Brighton and Hove) 140 (70, 70).

Team championship: 1 East Brighton 580 (P. Plant, 69, 69; D. Ballard, 71, 73; M. Brayshaw, 76, 78; G. Brayshaw, 71, 73. 2 West Hove 582 (S. Nielsen, 66, 77; C. Stevens, 71, 73; T. Marshallsay, 71, 72; R. Ellis, 78, 74). 3 Brighton and Hove 590 (S. Stark, 70, 70; M. Slumbers, 75, 72; A. Tolman, 76, 79; T. Hoyles, 72, 76).

Junior championship: 1 B. Gayton (Brighton and Hove) 143 (74, 69); 2 M. Mudie (The Dyke) 148 (72, 76); 3 T. Coulson (West Hove) 149 (76, 73).

Presidents Stableford: (at Singing Hills) 1 Martin Conlon (Hare & Hounds, Henfield) 37pts; 2 Billy McCusker (Reigate GC) 35pts; 3 Tony Hills (Hare & Hounds, Worthing) 33pts. Associates: 1 Mike Brown 39pts; 2 David Pepper 39pts; 3 Rod Tarratt 36pts. Guests: Mike Price 42pts.

Sergio Garcia's expected appearance before the European tour's tournament committee has not taken place at Loch Lomond.

In May Garcia was fined £5,000 for his behaviour at the Greg Norman International was requested to attend a meeting with representatives of the committee the next time he played in Europe.

That came with this week's Scottish Open, but with the 21-year-old having sent a letter of apology the committee discussed the issue briefly and decided to close the matter