MOORTOWN'S Nigel Sweet won both his matches, but Yorkshire's Northern Counties League title chances were severely damaged after they crashed on home ground in the Battle of the Roses at Lindrick.
Arch-rivals and firm favourites Lancashire strengthened their title claims with a narrow 9.5-8.5 victory over the White Rose side.
It was Yorkshire's first home defeat by Lancashire in 23 years, and the first reward the Red Rose men have enjoyed s
ince they halved the match at Bradford in 1994.
Yorkshire's young side were up against it when they trailed 4.5-1.5 from the foursomes, their lone win being provided by veterans Sweet and Steve Brennan.
Yorkshire put up a gritty performance in the singles but came up a point short of forcing a drawn match.
Yorkshire, who stand fourth in the league, have away matches against Cumbria and Cheshire to come but their hopes of overhauling their rivals hang by a thread.
Durham's 4.5-1.5 lead from the foursomes earned them victory over Northumberland after heavy rained caused the singles to be abandoned, the 12 matches going down as shared with a 10.5-7.5 result being recorded. Cheshire beat Cumbria 11.5- 6.5.
League placings: Lancashire 6 pnts; Cumbria 4; Durham 3, Yorkshire 2; Northumberland 2; Cheshire 1.
Yorkshire 8.5, Lancashire 9.5: Foursomes: N McCarthy & D Smith lost to Baldwin & J Hurst 6&5; DAppleyard & M Armitage lost to J Carroll & J Robinson 1 hole; A Best & M Evans lost to S Stewart & M Hunt 2&1; M Brown & A Hodkinson lost to D Corby & G Clark 2&1; N Sweet & S Brennan bt I Kenwright & M Young 2 holes; D Booth & A Hodkin halved with J Senior & S McGlynn.
Singles: McCarthy (Moortown) bt Baldwin (Royal Birkdale) 1 hole; Smith (Saltburn) lost to Hurst (Shaw Hill) 1 hole; Appleyard (South Leeds) halved with Carroll (Huyton & Prescot); Evans (Rotherham) bt Robinson (Southport & Ainsdale) 1 hole; Armitage (Howley Hall) lost to Stewart (St Annes Old Links) 3&2; Best (Cleveland) bt Hunt (Pleasington) 5&4; Hodkinson (Hallowes) bt Corsby (Royal Lytham) 5&4; Sweet (Moortown) bt Clark (Manchester) 2 holes; Hodkin (Wheatley) lost to Young (Longridge) 4&3; Brennan (Wheatley) bt Kenwright (Haydock Park) 4&3; Booth (Rotherham) halved with Senior (Heysham); Brown (PikeHills) lost to McGlynn 7&6.
The full article contains 395 words and appears in EP Leeds First & County newspaper.
