GOLF/Amateur Scene East of Ireland Championship: Warrenpoint's Jim Carvill held off a strong challenge from North West's Michael McGeady to secure the East of Ireland Championship yesterday, some 16 years after he last competed in the same event at County Louth Golf Club.

The 38-year-old signed for a closing 74 to give him an eight-under-par 280 aggregate, three shots ahead of McGeady whose 68 left him just short of the mark.

But before the final round got under way the result had looked a forgone conclusion as Carvill, who regained his amateur status only in March after 14 years spent in the professional ranks, held a seemingly unassailable, nine-shot lead on 10 under.

McGeady then asked the question by reaching the turn in four under par, by which stage Carvill still held a five-shot advantage. However, four bogeys in a row from the 10th by the leader reduced the deficit to just one shot with five holes to play.

In the heat of battle, though, Carvill gathered himself and played the last five holes in two under to put the title beyond McGeady's reach.

"The 10th was a bad hole to drop a shot," explained a relieved Carvill. "I knew if I made par at the tough 11th that would set me up, but I didn't. I hit a bad tee-shot at 12 to drop another, three-putted 13, then all of a sudden negative thoughts started creeping into my head.

"But Kenny (Stevenson) my caddy just said 'keep swinging positive', because we both knew it was close at that stage.

"After that I made a great par at 16, because my ball was buried in the rough just short of the green. I hit a great six-iron at the par three 17th to set up a birdie, and that made playing the last a lot easier," added Carvill, who closed with a birdie at the par five 18th. Crucially, Carvill single-putted the last three greens.

"This is a special championship to win for me because it's 72 holes strokeplay," added the winner, who lost out to Darren Clarke in 1989. "I mean, you can play in the North or the South, play very well and still get beat in the first or second round. Here you have to play well for all four rounds to win."

Carvill also spoke of his fondness for Baltray. "I've been coming here since I was 13 when we played in the Sinalco Cup, a competition for under-14s. I always remember being six over after 10, then birdieing five of the last eight to win it. From then on I've enjoyed a lot of good times around here."

McGeady played the final round with an attacking frame of mind. However, he also knew five under wasn't going to be enough to win. "I was pushing for eagle at the last because I knew five under was going to come up just short," said the Donegal man. "Fair play to Jim, though, he deserved to win. Sometimes a big lead can be the most difficult thing to protect."

Banbridge's Richard Kilpatrick shot 73 to finish third, five shots behind McGeady on level par.

West of Ireland champion Rory McIlroy was exhausted after he shot rounds of 75, 74 to share ninth place. On this evidence, his high-profile exploits playing two events on the European Tour in recent weeks, and competing on the amateur scene, finally caught up with him.

East of Ireland Final totals

280 - J Carvill (Warrenpoint) 70 65 71 74.

283 - M McGeady (North West) 73 71 71 68.

288 - R Kilpatrick (Banbridge) 72 71 72 73.

293 - P Murray (Limerick) 78 73 71 71, D Houlihan (K Club) 71 74 74 74.

294 - A McAllister (Portmarnock) 75 71 77 71, S McTernan (Co Sligo) 74 70 77 73, M Collins (Sutton) 73 72 72 77.

295 - B McCarroll (Ballyliffin) 80 69 71 75, R McIlroy (Holywood) 75 71 75 74, M O'Sullivan (Galway) 74 71 77 73, N Kearney (Royal Dublin) 69 71 79 76.

296 - H Diamond (Holywood) 76 70 74 76, D Crowe (Dunmurry) 73 71 77 75.

297 - M Sinclair (Knock) 74 76 73 74, D McInerney (Lahinch) 72 74 77 74.

298 - N Grant (Clandeboye) 76 73 78 71, M Owens (Mallow) 76 71 76 75.

299 - D Coyne (Tuam) 78 74 71 76, G Shaw (Lurgan) 77 68 76 78, R Cannon (Balbriggan) 76 75 72 76.

300 - J McGinn (Laytown) 76 70 74 80.

301 - D Rawluk (The Island) 76 71 74 80.

302 - K Bornemann (Douglas) 78 72 74 78, M Campbell (Stackstown) 75 73 77 77.

303 - D Morgan (Mullingar) 77 72 78 76, S O'Flaherty (Hermitage) 73 76 76 78.

304 - N Gorey (Killeen) 79 70 76 79, G Carew (Edenderry) 78 74 75 77, A McCormick (Scrabo) 76 75 76 77.

305 - S Power (West Waterford) 78 74 78 75.

306 - J Lyons (Galway) 77 74 78 77, P O'Keeffe (Douglas) 76 74 76 80, P Devine (The Island) 76 74 75 81.

307 - T O'Neill (Rathsallagh) 82 70 75 80, B McSweeney (Woodbrook) 77 75 76 79, R Branigan (Co Louth) 77 74 80 76, C Cassidy (Portmarnock) 76 75 82 74.

308 - G McGrane (Royal Dublin) 78 73 77 80, C Curley (Newlands) 78 72 76 82, B Reddan (Co Louth) 77 74 83 74, M Rowe (Athlone) 76 73 84 75, B O'Connor (Hermitage) 75 74 79 80.

310 - M Horan (Birr) 80 71 77 82, G Nugent (Kilkenny) 76 75 79 80.

311 - E McAnoy (Knock) 76 73 79 83.

314 - E McCormack (Galway) 75 72 84 83.

315 - C O'Malley (Westport) 78 70 80 87.

Disq: P Connolly (Clontarf) 75 74 76.