Hampshire suffered a heartbreaking defeat in their league final showdown with Essex.

The county lost 6.5-5.5 at The Warren, as their singles rally fell just short.

Captain Steve Williams had hoped to emulate predecessors Andy Bow and fellow Stoneham clubmate Richard Elmes by winning the Daily Telegraph South East League Salver.

However, his side came up just short in an enthralling match between the northern and southern division champions of England Golf’s South East Group, writes ANDY GRIFFIN.

Williams’ teamsheet for the weekend had to be ripped up after two late withdrawals.

The Army’s Haydn Reay suffered the recurrence of an ankle injury, while Royal Jersey’s Gavin O’Neill required hospital treatment after hurting himself in a fall.

That forced Williams to promote North Hants’ Billy Watson from reserve into the eight-man team, as well as calling on ex-captain and senior England international Alan Mew.

The disruption caused by the loss of O’Neill and Reay meant two new foursomes partnerships had to be formed in practice on Saturday afternoon.

Although Rowlands Castle’s Tom Robson and Brokenhurst Manor’s Martin Young rattled off the first point with a 4&3 win, the remaining three foursomes matches were won by the home side.

Corhampton’s Scott Gregory, the beaten English Amateur finalist in August, and Hayling’s Darren Walkley had been four down but fought back to lose by two holes.

Watson – winner of the English Junior Champion of Champions, at Woodhall Spa, two weeks ago – was sent out with Hayling’s Ben Wall, but they lost by the same margin, while Mew and Blackmoor’s Mark Burgess lost the 17th to go three down.

Williams responded by sending out the big guns at the top of the singles order after lunch, in a bid to overturn the 3-1 deficit.

It proved a good tactic, with Robson too strong for Ricky Lee, winning 2&1, Gregory beating Arthur Leonard 4&3, and Young, who had been five-up at one point, beating Bobby Keeble by the same score.

But Walkley’s miserable weekend continued, as Essex’s Andy May squared the match with a 3&2 win.

Mew, a former European Tour and European Seniors Tour member, had too much experience for Mark Stones, winning one-up, but Wall was being battered by Lady Luck.

Having driven into a stone bollard outside the club entrance when his car skidded in the pouring rain when the team arrived 24 hours earlier, Wall was two-down after 12 against Alex Woodward.

He then watched in horror as the Essex skipper thinned a chip on the 12th from 25 yards straight into the hole on his way to a 4&3 win.

Hampshire Junior champion Watson missed a four-footer to go one-up at 16, then decisively lost 17.

Burgess’ eagle at the last earned him a half against Todd Clements, but the title was already lost by then.

After wins in 2000, 2002 and 2012, plus ties in 2001 and 2009, this was Hampshire’s first defeat in the final since 2009.

Williams said: “I pay tribute to Essex’s play and congratulate them on their victory.”