Tim Spence, after being runner-up four times, finally won the Sussex Professional Championship with a nine under par 133 (67, 66) at West Hove.

Spence, who is also the reigning Sussex Open champion, is a worthy winner of The Bill Watts Trophy after trailing by two strokes at halfway.

Spence, 36, was given a fright when late finisher Gordon Murray carded a championship best 64.

But Murray, who took six on the par three 13th in the morning, narrowly missed forcing a play-off. Murray's brother Stuart finished joint second and Paul Lyons lifted the Assistants' title.

Spence, winner of two Spring Meetings, the Riseborough Memorial and Sussex Open during his time in the county, collected a £2,000 cheque.

He said: "I birdied the first three holes in the morning and the same two in the afternoon and had only five bogies all day."

His most spectacular hole was the uphill 312-yard tenth. Spence's tee shot found the green and he slotted a 20-foot putt for an eagle on the way to a second round 66.

Unfancied pacesetter after 18 holes was Graeme Crompton with 65. With the 6,226-yard course playing short, there were plenty of eagles at the downwind 484-yard sixth that Dean Plant reduced to a drive and sand iron.

Ultimately, the championship was decided on the good condition greens and Crompton, after such a brilliant morning, had three three-putts in his follow-up 72 leaving him four shots behind Spence.

But it was Gordon Murray who came in burning hot with birdies at four, five, an eagle at six, plus further birdies on eight and nine to go out in 30. He had another birdie at 18.

Unluckiest player was Giles Velvick who, in the afternoon, reached the 13th green to find a West Hove member holding his ball, saying it had hit a wall and gone out of bounds.

Velvick, who was not sure where his drive finished, should have asked for it to be replaced and made his own decision. The total stranger had no business interfering and, in so doing, upset Velvick's concentration and he took six which cost him a larger share of the prize fund.

He said: "I was astounded at what I saw but, all things considered, I didn't play well."

Leading scores:

133 Tim Spence (unattached) 67, 66.

134 Stuart Murray (Ifield) 68, 66; Paul Lyons (Sweetwoods Park) 68, 66.

135 Marcus Groombridge (Burgess Hill) 67, 68; Gordon Murray (Holtye) 71, 64.

137 Graeme Crompton (Hollingbury Park) 65, 72.

138 Jason Partridge (Piltdown) 70, 68.

139 Jamie Harris (The Nevill) 69, 70; Lee Morris (Meridian) 71, 68; Fraser Morley (Hill Barn) 70, 69.

140 Adrian Milligan (Piltdown) 72, 68; Christian Fogden (Goodwood Park) 71, 69; Giles Velvick (Horam Park) 66, 74; Martin Chalcraft (Seaford) 70, 70.

141 Joel O'Hara (Tilgate Forest) 73, 68; Mark Stuart-William (East Brighton) 72, 69; Charlie Giddins (Beauport Park) 73, 68.

142 David Mills (Seaford) 70, 72; Julian Reason (The Nevill) 72, 70.

143 Dean Plant (Willingdon) 71,72; Lea Cooper (Tilgate Forest) 72, 71); Charles Ledger (Hassocks) 71, 72.

144 Darren Cook (West Hove) 72, 72; Neal Georges (unattached) 72, 72.