Ex-Saints defender Paul Telfer proved that playing off one was no handicap when up against some of the best amateur golfers in the country as he produced one of the biggest shocks in the 125-year history of the Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Channel Islands Amateur Championship.

Telfer, who also played for Celtic, Coventry and Leeds, knocked out the number one seed in the first round of Saturday’s 18-hole matchplay and pushed Hayling’s Toby Burden – who would go on to be crowned champion at the third attempt in Sunday’s final – all the way in the quarter-finals.

Seventy years ago it was another Hockley member - 17-year-old Paddy Hine who would shock the amateur golf world by winning the Hampshire Amateur at Stoneham in June, before adding the Carris Trophy at the English Boys’ Amateur Strokeplay and then the Brabazon Trophy in October 1949 when Stoneham hosted the English Men’s Amateur Strokeplay – a record that has never been matched to his day.

Telfer, 47, sneaked into the top 16 qualifiers for the 114th county championship at Aldershot’s Army Golf Club, finishing on eight-over par in the 36-hole qualifier, on Friday.

That left him facing No. 1 seed Conor Richards, from Shanklin & Sandown, who was fresh from helping Miami’s Barry University to fifth place in the NCAA Div II finals in America in late May.

But despite the 2015 Hampshire Boys Champion finishing 12 shots better than the former Premiership player, who earned one cap for Scotland, Hockley member Telfer played the round of his life to knock out one of the Hampshire first-team players expected to contend for the Sloane Stanley Challenge Cup come Sunday.

Richards, who plays off plus two, and has been in fine form all season in the States, did not have it his own way in the early exchanges.

Telfer, who first entered the Hampshire IoW & CI championship a decade ago at Liphook, made a birdie three at the second and despite a bogey at the next, he was back in front at the sixth after Richards took five.

Giving holes away to par is considered a crime by the top amateurs, let alone pro golfers.

But the former professional footballer, who spent several years coaching in the States in the last decade, made a superb two at the short par three – called The Somme – to go two-up.

A mistake by Telfer, whose 148 appearances for Saints from 2001-05 included the 2003 FA Cup final, let Richards back in at the short par fourth.

But three consecutive pars increased the pressure on the favourite – although it took a remarkable big hook recovery shot from the trees by Telfer, to reach the green, to keep the run going.

The 503-yard par five was Richards’ chance of getting back all square, but he could only make five.

And at the driveable par four 13th it was Telfer, who made a three, to double his lead to two with five to play.

‘Two up with five to play never wins’ is a well-known saying in matchplay but all Telfer’s experience from playing in the Premiership’s pressure cooker situations was sorely tested as Richards got one back with a par at the 14th – called Rae’s Creek.

It’s Rae’s Creek that can wreck cards on the back nine at Augusta – but two more pars actually restored that two-hole lead as Richards cracked, taking five at the 16th – called Waterloo.

And Richards met his Waterloo at the next as Telfer played for the middle of the green on the long par three, and Richards failed to get up and down to take four to make it 3&1.

But after the giant-killing in the first round Burden’s extra experience – he spent five years in the pro ranks playing PGA EuroPro and European Challenge Tour events before regaining his amateur status – proved too much for Telfer.

Burden went one up at the second and was three up at the turn. He won the 11th and 12th and threatened to run away with the match.

Telfer, playing for pride, won the 14th and 15th but lost the 16th as Burden won 4&2.

Stoneham’s Owen Grimes took sixth place in qualifying with rounds of 74 and 70 to finish two-over, one shot behind clubmate Alex Talbot (74, 69) who was the fourth seed.

Grimes lost 3&2 in the first round to the only junior in the matchplay – Lee-on-Solent’s Aman Uddin – while Talbot romped to a 7&6 win over Osborne’s Darren Masterton.

But Talbot’s hopes of adding the men’s county crown to the boys’ title he won in 2016 was ended by Blackmoor’s Ben Lobacz who booked his place in the last four with a 2&1 win. Burden, who knocked out Rowlands Castle’s former England international Darren Wright in the first round, beat Roope 6&5 in the final playing some superb golf tee to green.