KERRY SMITH made a decisive defence of her Hampshire Women's Golf Championship crown at wet and windy Marriott Meon Valley Golf and Country Club yesterday.

The Curtis Cup player from Waterlooville powered to a crushing 5&4 victory over Channel Islander Jenny Deeley from the La Moye Club.

The champion took the first with a par, the fourth with a birdie and went three up at the next. Deeley pulled a hole back when Smith three-putted the next, but she got to three up again by the turn and never looked back.

Smith had booked her final slot with an equally emphatic 5&4 win over the newly-crowned Hampshire junior champion Layla Ahmed. Deeley beat Meon Valley teenage hope Tracey Boyes 4&2 in the other semi-final.

Now Kerry will lead Hampshire's challenge in the southern qualifier for the English County Championship which is being staged at Royal Winchester from June 16-20.

Justin Rose fought his way back into contention for the Crowns Championship in Japan yesterday with a sizzling round of 66.

Two over after the first round, the 22-year-old Hampshire player looked to have no chance of successfully defending the title. Now he's up to 37th place and at four under just four off the lead.

Rose holed from off the green for a birdie at the first. And although he had a couple of early bogeys, his birdie count soared to seven and he smiled: "another 66 today and I'll be contention".

Matt Blackey, though, slipped out of contention for the Italian Open. A dropped shot at the first and third put the Southampton-based player back to two under and although he clawed the two shots back, a total of five bogies, the last of them at the 18th, left him three under and in a tie for 31st place.

Stoneham's Richard Bland birdied two of his last three holes for a 71 and a halfway aggregate of level par, but it looked like being just one shot away from making the cut.

But Salisbury's Gary Emerson made it through safely after starting his second round one over and moving to two under with three birdies through his back nine.