Robert Vallis and Kim Marshall lifted the men's and women's Bermuda Amateur Strokeplay Championships in contrasting styles yesterday at sprawling Port Royal.

While Marshall successfully defended a title she'd won for the previous three years, cruising to an emphatic 13-stroke triumph, Vallis endured a much tougher climb to the pinnacle marking him as Bermuda's top amateur.

The scratch handicapper came back from a two shot deficit entering the final day to win a dramatic four-man sudden-death play-off.

A birdie putt at the 149-yard, par-three third hole, which Mark Dupuy could only par, finally landed Vallis his second strokeplay championship -- he previously won in 1991 -- and while his play was far from precision-like, it satisfied all the same.

"Of course I'm very pleased as it is always nice to win,'' said Vallis, who had little time to savour the victory, instead having to be whisked away to the hospital to perform an emergency operation.

"The first one is always special.. .(but) it's just as nice to win now as I am getting older and there are a lot of juniors and others coming through out there.'' Still, there would have been no need for a play-off had Vallis, leading by one stroke, not hooked a hopeless tee shot into the casuarina trees lining the left fairway at number 18.

Forced to pitch back into the fairway, Vallis scrambled to make bogey and a 75 for the day, creating a four-way deadlock at the top with 1994 champion Henry Ascento (75), overnight leader Hav Trott (77) and the surprising Mark Dupuy (73), all at 299, 15-over-par through four rounds.

Then came the real drama, where one mistake would cost the game.

The first to falter was Ascento, his tee shot on number one nestling among the woods well out of bounds along with his chances of a repeat.

"I think I was a little too anxious to hit, especially being the first one,'' Ascento explained later. "I didn't use my normal routine and didn't approach the shot properly.'' Vallis again was wide of the fairway as was Dupuy and Trott, yet all managed par, Vallis thanks to a pinpoint low drive out of the rough, under a tree and away from the looming water hazard.

At number two Trott became the next casualty when he screwed his drive into the right rough, chipped out only to watch his third shot land in the sand trap, burying his dreams of a title.

Dupuy and Vallis again managed par, leaving the duo in a two horse battle.

However, the fairytale would end for the largely unknown Dupuy as Vallis played a final trump card at number three, planting his tee shot within five feet of the hole and sinking a birdie putt, while Dupuy landed in the right-side bunker and could only make par.

Although most attention focused upon the men, Kim Marshall again showed herself to be a world ahead of her competitors.

Benefiting from a record setting four-under 68 on Saturday, Marshall led by 16 strokes entering the final day and while she stumbled to a 82 it was nevertheless enough for her to win by 13 shots, finishing with a total of 224.

Second was Judithanne Outerbridge, her 79 contributing to a three round total 237, with Madeline Joell and Pat Morgan next in line, level at 255.

"`I came into the tournament very confident and that's probably why I played well the first two days,'' said Marshall, who today travels abroad to work with a new coach in order to further enhance her game. "Today I didn't hit the shots as solid and nothing went my way. I don't know if being 16 shots up made a difference...I just didn't know how to hit anything it seemed.

"Yesterday I couldn't miss and today nothing dropped for me.'' Overall Marshall was indeed a hit and with age on her side appears headed for more significant triumphs overseas.

KIM MARSHALL -- runaway victory in the women's division.

ROBERT VALLIS -- birdied the third hole of a sudden-death play-off to clinch his second Amateur Strokeplay Championship at Port Royal yesterday.