The top six seeds from this year’s Battle Trophy list and three of last year’s four semifinalists return for the second annual Central Virginia Match Play Championships this weekend at Spring Creek Golf Club.

With his come-from-behind victory in the Jefferson Cup Invitational golf tournament at Birdwood over the weekend, Nick Little blew away the competition for the top spot in the 2008 Battle Trophy competition’s final standings.

It seems that if Nick Little is participating in a local golf event you can just about be certain that he’ll be walking away with the hardware.

Little, who has dominated Central Virginia amateur golf for the past two years, will lead the field heading into today’s 54-hole annual Jefferson Cup Invitational at Birdwood Golf Club. It is one of only two local tournaments that Little hasn’t won.

Virginia accomplished that and will reap the reward today — the Cavaliers open play as one of 30 teams at the championships, which are being held at Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Lafayette, Ind. The Cavaliers enter as the event’s 30th seed.

The race for the 2008 Battle Trophy is on. Now in the 18th year of competition, the Battle Trophy is one of Central Virginia’s most coveted prizes, annually signifying the region’s top amateur golfer through a points system. Points are awarded in seven local tournaments, along with the Virginia State Amateur and SunTrust of Virginia Open.