While Sheffield sneaked a victory over York to maintain their 100 per cent record and clinch the league title with one match to play, Leeds can still finish second if they beat East Riding at Wetherby on September 7.

The two sides would end level on points, but Leeds have the superior individual wins record.

Elswhere, Sheffield prevailed in a thrilling finish against York at Doncaster Town Moor.

It went to the final singles and former county champion Shaun Tarplett won it for the Steelers by edging Stuart Parkin on the 17th green to seal a 19-17 win.

East Riding stayed second after tieing 18-18 with Bradford at Shipley while Harrogate, rooted in last place, suffered a sixth successive defeat, going down 20-16 to Halifax-Huddersfield at Bradley Park.

The game was in doubt after torrential rain overnight .

But Halifax-Huddersfield captain Chris Mear and opposite number Ian Smith agreed after a course inspection to play the match with local rules of lifting and placing and relief from the water-filled bunkers also applying.

It led to a see-saw contest.

The foursomes were shared 6-6, with Harrogate fighting back after losing the top three, then the lead in the singles went one way and then the other, before the home side clinched victory in the final match.

Result: Halifax-Huddersfield 20, Harrogate 16.

Foursomes: A Shaw (Bradley Hall) & R Broadley (Huddersfield) bt S Whitwham (Harrogate) & J Coldwell (Knaresborough) 3&1; S Bridges (West End) & R Greenwood (West End) bt T Moorhouse (Harrogate) & I Douglas (Pannal) 1 hole; F Greaves (West End) & G McLean (Meltham) bt C Wilding (Oakdale) & C Henderson (Oakdale) 1 hole; A Appleyard (Bradley Hall) & J Ellison (Huddersfield) lost to P Kitching (Rudding Park) & K Parker (Ripon City) 3&2; D Stafford (Todmorden) & M Colcombe (Longley Park) lost to L Searle (Romanby) & D Brown (Bedale) 4&3; B Crowther (Dewsbury) & J Bower (Meltham) lost to M Bennison (Knaresborough) & M Edmiston (Oakdale) 4&3..

Singles: Broadley lost to Whitwham 3&2; Shaw bt Kitching 6&5; Greenwood bt Searle 1 hole; Bridges bt Parker 3&2; McLean lost to Douglas 1 hole; Greaves bt Coldwell 4&3; Colcombe lost to Wilding 4&2; Appleyard lost to Bennison 1 hole; Ellison lost to Moorhouse 5&4; Stafford bt Edmiston 1 hole; Crowther bt Brown 1 hole; Bower bt Henderson 6&5.

Meanwhile, Nick McCarthy was the lone saving grace as Yorkshire's woeful season continued at the Northern Counties qualifying event on the Isle of Man.

The Moortown man overcame rain and the high winds that buffeted the Castletown links to shoot 73 74 and was the best individual as Yorkshire's form nose-dived again.

It means the English champions finish second-from-last in the eight-team contest.

Perennial no-hopers Isle of Man even finished ahead of them.

McCarthy's was an outstanding effort in the conditions as he out-scored Yorkshire's next best man, English champion Steve Uzzell, by eight strokes.

Lancashire, champions-elect of the Northern Counties League with one match to play, claimed the title to qualify for the English County championship at Hollinwell, Notts, on September 26 to 28, a title that has been Yorkshire's for the past three years.

Lancashire came from 11 strokes back at the halfway mark to win by five from Northumberland.

Northumberland set the halfway lead with a respectable 450 total and led Isle of Man by nine with Lancashire a further two strokes behind.

The weather worsened later in the day, with playing conditions being close to impossible, but Lancashire got inon 922 – a mark Northumberland found beyond them.

Result: 922 – Lancashire; 927 – Northumberland; 929 – Durham; 931 – Cumbria; 932 – Isle of Man; 938 – Yorkshire (N McCarthy 73 74, A Best 79 78, J Smedley 79 80, M Evans 82 77, A Hodkin 78 83, S Uzzell 76 79); 962 – Cheshire.

Best first round morning prize: 71 – Mark Penny (Northumberland).

Best second round prize: 73 – Gary Wolstenholme (Cumbria).