Michael Lindfield is the Sussex Boys champion after winning a sudden death play-off against England international Ben Evans.

Lindfield, 18, works 15 hours a week in the East Blatchington shop and has three club championship scalps under his belt, having won twice at Seaford Head.

Last year he was the leading amateur in the Sussex Open at The Nevill so it was hardly surprising to see him as such a force at The Dyke.

Sudden death play-offs do not hold the happiest memories for Evans.

He lost the Sussex under-15s championship to Todd Adcock and three years later failed to lift the county boys' title in similar circumstances.

And it happened again at The Dyke.

Evans sunk an eight-foot birdie putt on the 36th hole to tie on 142 with Lindfield and force what proved to be an anti-climactic shoot-out.

Evans intended to bring his drive in from right to left on the breeze and gain a few precious yards on the straightforward par four tenth.

But the ball never deviated, buried in deep rough and was lost.

Needing to hole his provisional, Evans had no answer to Lindfield, who was on in two.

The 51st championship meeting at this level, with 64 starters between the ages of 13 and 18, gave ample proof of how healthy the game is among Sussex's teenagers.

Despite the result hinging on an error, make no mistake, Lindfield is a worthy champion.

Evans missed a four-footer on the 16th after a birdie the previous hole during his second round which put pressure on him to sink his putt on the last while Lindfield watched.

Steadiness was Lindfield's profitable habit and he was level par on his back nine as the pace quickened.

Evans' last six competitive rounds of 71, 71, 71, 70, 70, 72 included the Carris Trophy when he and Tom Coulson started in fine style at Newcastle and contested the early lead.

Subsequently both fell away with Evans finishing 18th on 288. Coulson's second round of 79 meant he missed the cut by one.

Lindfield also failed to qualify for the last two rounds with 149 and Ollie Turnill missed out together with 14-year-old Darren Renwick from Worthing.

This week Turnill joined Evans in the Home Internationals at Portmarnock having made his England debut as an under-16.

Apart from Renwick, all the players at the Sussex Championship were full time amateurs and predictably dominated.

Evans, whose first claim is Rye, has just retained the Sedlescombe club championship for the fourth successive year. Lindfield had rounds of 72 and 74 to win the Seaford title by two strokes from Clive Williams.