The 14-year-old from Bolwarra Heights will take a one-shot lead into the fourth and final round of the Maitland A-grade Club Championships and, if 

successful, will become the youngest ever winner of the highly sought-after prize.

And it’s safe to say there has been a sleepless night or two for Small ahead of the deciding round for 2014.

“There was one [sleepless night],” Small admitted. “I’ve been a bit nervous.”

It was a position he didn’t expect to find himself in at the start of just the teenager’s second tilt at the top grade title.

“I was just hoping to finish mid field some where,” Small said.

“My main goal was to even make one of the seeded groups.”

The year 9 student at Maitland Grossmann High School has done more than just that and after rounds of 72, a personal best par-71 and 81 he will lead the seeded groups off the tee around 1pm.

Small (224) will be joined by Gulliver father-son combination Hayden and Bryan (225), while David Cannaughton (229) is a further four shots back.

“I need to put them out of my mind,” Small said. “I just need to play like it’s another round of golf.” 

Small, who has reduced his handicap from 10 to two in the last 12 months, has put his improvement down to more practice.

“I’m up here every day,” Small said.

“And I’ve been getting lessons with Rick McLean once a month.”

The youngest winner of the Maitland A-grade Club Championship was a 16-year-old Andrew Marriott in 2008.

Around the fairways and at Kurri 11-time 

champion Andrew Wyper (146) will take a three shot lead into the third and final round on Saturday with Josh Stig (149) his nearest competitor.

And at Branxton the young gun Josh Tracey and 15-time champion Mark Hale (141) share the lead from Anthony Bentley (142) at the halfway stage with rounds three and four played across Saturday and Sunday.