Jamie Bower and Joe Dean vying to keep the English Men’s Amateur crown in Yorkshire hands

Bower beat Marco Penge (Golf at Goodwood) in the fourth round while Dean – who had been three up at one stage on Braintree’s Todd Clements – had to go to the second extra hole before prevailing.

Bedale’s Dan Brown, recent winner of the Dutch Junior Open, was beaten 3&2 by Scott Gregory (Corhampton), the player Huddersfield’s Nick Marsh beat in last year’s final to lift the crown.

Dan Wasteney, of Bondhay, took Enville’s Rob Burlison to the 21st hole before succumbing. Burlison made an eagle 3 at the par-5 third hole having made a fine par on the last, getting up and down from 40 yards to take the match into extra time.

Bower’s match with boys’ international Penge had a tense finish.

He was one up playing the last, but a sudden-death climax seemed probable.

After both players decided to drive down the first fairway, Penge found the green with his second shot, but Yorkshire county player Bower tangled with a bunker en route and was on in three.

However, he holed a 35ft putt to claim his place in the quarter-finals.

“I can’t tell you how relieved I am, it was really close,” he said. “Marco is a fantastic player and made a really good fight of it.”

In the third round Bower had got the better of West Cornwall’s Harry Hall at the final hole and Dean had defeated Tomasz Anderson (Brocket Hall), conqueror the previous day of Moortown’s David Houlding.

Brown was a 4&3 morning winner against Braintree’s James Allan and Wasteney needed an extra hole to see off Jeremy Larcombe (Burnham & Berrow).

Wath’s Nick Poppleton lost by two holes to Tom Robson (Weymouth) and Moortown’s Ben Firth went out 3&1 to Paul Kinnear (Formby), who played in the Open at St Andrews earlier this month.