Gary Evans is still chasing that first elusive European Tour victory in over 230 starts after going so close in the Moroccan Open.

Jamie Spence won by four shots in Marrakesh 12 months ago after a wait of eight years to claim his second Tour title.

This time it was the turn of another Sussex par-buster to bid for glory while Spence found the high winds not to his liking on the opening day and failed to make the cut, missing it it by one stroke.

Evans didn't pull up any trees until the third round. But after equalling Howard Clark's 14-year-old course record with a 66, the Rustington rover headed a trio of players in second place to Ian Poulter.

The tourney was nicely poised with Poulter looking over his shoulder at the chasing pack in which Evans was the hungriest.

That 66 enabled Evans to make the biggest move through the field on the third day after starting seven shots behind on one-under.

Gary's priority was getting his head down. He said: "The field was so bunched that even if I'd only got to four-under I would still have been in the top 25. I've played five tournaments and made four cuts, but not made more then £10,000, which is disappointing."

On the final day, Evans got to within a stroke of Poulter, his playing partner, after an eagle on the fifth. But Gary double-bogeyed the next and could not repair the damage when his tee-shot finished behind a tree.

From there he could only play out and, despite finding the green, three-putted. He had to settle for a share of sixth place, six strokes behind Poulter who tied for second behind Spence in last year's event.

It is the closest Evans has come to a Tour win since being runner-up in the Turespana Masters nine years ago.