Robert Vallis won the Bermuda Men's Amateur Match Play Championship for the second time with a two-and-one victory over Tim Carr on Saturday.

In a tight contest between former champions over 36 holes at the Mid Ocean Club, Vallis recovered from early trouble to storm back and repeat his triumph of 1992.

Carr seized the initiative, winning the first three holes of the morning, before Vallis recovered to even the match after seven.

Vallis went in two-up after the first 18 and kept his nose in front right up until closing out the match at the 17th.

If there was one particular moment which had swung the match in his favour, Vallis felt it had come during the second round at the 15th hole.

"I guess the turning point came when I was one-up and playing 15 and Tim went first and sent his tee shot into the trees,'' said Vallis.

"I won the hole and it left me two-up with just three holes left to play.

"I think we both gave each other a few holes -- some were won with good shots, others lost with bad ones.

"It's always nice to win a tournament, particularly one like this which attracts a lot of good overseas players to the Island as well as a lot of good locals.

"And it was nice to win it again after eight years, as I haven't played much competitive golf in recent years.'' With two Match Play Championships under his belt, it would appear Vallis is well suited to the demands of the man-to-man format. But he admitted he found it tough.

"Match play is such a nerve-racking form of golf, sometimes I wonder why I do it,'' said Vallis.

"It can make your stomach churn when you get anxious just to win the match.

When someone gets a long putt against you, it can bother you, when it wouldn't bother you over a 72-hole strokeplay tournament.'' Carr, the 1997 champion who was playing in his third final, said: "It was quite a close game. I was three-up after three, but then I got a bit loose and made some silly little mistakes and he clawed himself back into the game.

"By the 17th, I was three-down, so I was really pleased to win the 18th and go in at just two-down.'' Carr reduced the defecit to one hole at one stage.

"At the 13th, I got back to one-down,'' added Carr. "We halved the 14th and at the 15th I hooked my tee shot into the trees and lost the hole.

"We both birdied the 16th and he closed out the match at the 17th. I thought it was a good game of golf -- the pins were in some devilish places.

"I was quite pleased with how I played. Obviously I wanted to win, but to take Robert as far as I did, him being as good a golfer as he is and knowing the course as well as he does, I have to be pretty pleased.'' Robert Vallis: recovered to win Saturday's Match Play final after losing the first three holes.