By Alistair Hogg Australian Andrew Dodt shot a final round 68 but fell one-stroke shy of completing the rare Australian and New Zealand Amateur Stroke Play Championships double. Dodt, who won the Australian Amateur Stroke Play at New South Wales Golf Club in a playoff last month came tantalisingly close to forcing extra holes with James Gill, but the Kiwi held on to win by a shot. Gill&aposs final round of 74 was shaky but just good enough to get the local across the line. His New Zealand team mate Troy Ropiha finished equal second with Dodt after shooting a 70 to finish on seven-under. Australians Jamie Arnold and Tom Prowse finished equal-fourth on four-under along with New Zealand&aposs Jim Cusdin. Gill, in the final group, teed off on the 18th knowing he held a two-stroke lead over his nearest opponents. Given his position, the Kiwi elected to play it safe and changed his game to suit the circumstances. With the pin positioned on the upper tier of the green, Gill clubbed down for extra distance on the 150 metre par-three. His tee shot flew over the back of the green but it left him with an easier play than reading a long, tricky uphill putt. His decision making proved successful as he chipped on and two-putted for a cautious bogey to become the first New Zealander to win the title since Brad Shilton in 2002. Gill started the final round five ahead of Ropiha and seven ahead of Dodt but almost let the pair overrun him. A double bogey at 13 followed by three-putt bogey at 14 opened the door for his competitors as Dodt birdied 15 to give himself a share of the lead. However Gill regrouped and played one of the shots of the tournament on the 15th to boost his score, and his confidence. With a hilly lie on the 348 metre par-four, Gill pulled his nine-iron out of his bag and clubbed it low toward the green. It bounced across the surface several times before dropping into the cup for a spectacular eagle. It gave him the buffer he needed to go on and win and his cause was helped when Dodt three-putted the 18th. The top-32 players qualify for the New Zealand Amateur Match Play Championship beginning on Friday morning. Four players including Australian Justin Roach were deadlocked in equal-32nd and were forced to play-off for just two spots. The places were taken by Ryan Fox and Richard Pegg, from Auckland and Wellington respectively. Roach, winner of the weekend foursomes and runner-up in the Australian Amateur Championships unfortunately missed out. Final scores in the New Zealand Amateur Stroke Play Championship at Hamilton Golf Club: -8: James Gill (NZL) 71 69 66 74 -7: Andrew Dodt (AUS) 71 71 71 68, Troy Ropiha (NZL) 71 69 66 74 -4: Tom Prowse (AUS) 69 72 73 70, Jamie Arnold (AUS) 67 73 71 73, Jim Cusdin (NZL) -3: Brent Watson (AUS) 71 71 70 73, Kevin Smith (NZL) 69 69 69 78 -2: Rohan Blizard (AUS) 68 71 75 72, Leighton James (NZL) 71 71 72 72, Steven Han (NZL) 72 72 72 70 -1: Andrew Searle (NZL) 66 80 69 72, Danny Lee (NZL) 71 71 72 73, Grant Scott (AUS) 69 69 74 75 +1: Michael Foster (AUS) 71 72 77 69, Travis O&aposConnell (NZL) 75 72 72 70, Mark Boe (NZL) 73 72 73 71, Brenton Haines (AUS) 70 76 69 74, Nick Gillespie (NZL) 68 70 74 77 +2: Jared Pender (NZL) 72 76 73 69, Andrew Henare (NZL) 71 75 74 70, Sean Roach (NZL) 74 72 73 71, Andrew Stewart (NZL) 68 75 73 74, Tim Stewart (AUS) 70 76 69 75 +3: Mark Smith (NZL) 73 75 73 70, Sean Kells (NZL) 69 74 77 71, Daniel Pearce (NZL) 74 74 69 74, Brad Stuart (NZL) 73 68 75 75, Brenden Stuart (NZL) 71 71 74 75, Blair Shaw (NZL) 71 71 69 80 +4: Ryan Fox (NZL) 72 69 74 77, Richard Pegg 76 70 71 75 ———-Fox & Pegg won the final qualifying spots in a playoff———- +4: Scott Wightman (NZL) 69 79 72 72, Justin Roach (AUS) 74 69 74 75 Click here to view the full scoreboard Click here to view the match play draw