GARY Donnison picked up the De Vere PGA North Region championship at Northop Country Park and then thanked Newcastle keeper Steve Harper for talking him out of quitting the game for good.

Gosforth professional Donnison, 18, took the title with a birdie at the second play-off hole and then revealed how he had contemplated quitting altogether a month ago.

"He's one of my sponsors along with teammates Gary Speed and Alan Shearer, but he's also a great friend," said Donnison after beating Morpeth's David Clark and Craig Goodfellow of Eden.

"I'd been struggling and was ready to give it up but Steve had a long chat with me and told me to stick with it. I can't thank him enough.

"This victory could not have come at a better time. I had held back posting my entry for the European Tour school but the first thing I am going to do is fax it off."

Donnison holed a curling 15-foot putt on the final green to get into the play-off after starting the final round five shots adrift of Goodfellow.

* Durham picked up the wooden spoon in the EGU Northern Counties Championship for a third successive year after their 13-4 defeat to Cheshire at Wilmslow on Saturday.

Cheshire were always in command of the match as they took a three-point advantage from the morning foursomes and then won five of the top six singes ties in the afternoon. Three late birdies by Yorkshire pair Garry Lacy and Craig Vance proved crucial as the White Rose County successfully defended their title against Roses rivals Lancashire.

A draw at Pleasington meant Yorkshire took the title on 'goal difference' from their arch-rivals. Cumbria, leapfrogging Northumberland into third place following their 10-7 victory at Tynemouth.

* Yorkshire won the English Boys' County Championship for the second successive year when they completed a clean sweep of their three rivals at Copthorne in Sussex.

But having swept past Wiltshire and Kent over the first two days, they were made to fight by a spirited Lincolnshire side before edging home with one match halved.

* Stocksfield's Chris Paisley pipped Ricky Lee (Ryton) and Craig Wilkinson of Blyth by one stroke to successfully defend his Northumberland and Durham Junior Strokeplay title at Bedlington. Paisley, 17, had birdies on the second, fifth, seventh, ninth and 11th in a five-under-par round of 68. A round of 80 earned Stacie Morton (Hobson) the girls title on countback from City of Newcastle's Nikki Toman.