Debutants excel as Leeds trounce Teesside at Catterick

“Never in my whole time have I known a score like that,” said McKee, who notched up almost half a century of appearances as a player.

“And [Moor Allerton’s] Liam Bennett three-putted the last in his singles otherwise we would have had another point there and it would’ve been 31-5.

“It was crazy, absolutely crazy. All the new guys performed admirably – Cameron Owen [Oulton Hall], Martin Simpson [Selby], Rob Pettican [Scarcroft] and Liam – they all performed well. It was incredible.”

Leeds took a 9-3 lead from the morning foursomes session, but there will have been no complacency in the ranks after an 8-4 advantage in their previous match against Halifax-Huddersfield at Bradley Park was overturned by the home side, who triumphed 19-17.

But nor was there any sense of apprehension as was shown by their 21-3 singles supremacy as the 12 matches produced 10 Leeds wins and a half.

“The enthusiasm running through the team was absolutely incredible,” said McKee. “All the guys were up for it and going forward it should be good. I’m absolutely delighted – I’m ecstatic actually.”

More than half the Leeds team triumphed in both the morning and afternoon – Adam Frontal (Cookridge Hall), Bennett, Barry Hardcastle (Leeds Golf Centre), Steve Cain (Scarcroft), Owen, Ryan Beach (Oulton Hall) and Pettican.

Two others, in Selby’s Martin Simpson and Neil Clark, of Selby, enjoyed a win and a half.

McKee was missing four notables in Cookridge Hall’s Tom Broxup, who is recovering from a broken leg, Wakefield’s Dan Bradbury and Ben Firth (Leeds Golf Centre), who were playing in the Berkshire Trophy, and Howley Hall’s Tom North, who was on holiday.

But the outcome at Catterick emphasised the deep pool of talent within the ranks of Leeds, who will tackle champions Sheffield at Cookridge Hall in their next YIDU League assignment on July 8.

“We have just got to try to beat Sheffield now and that will be the key to our season, and I should have a really, really strong side out for that,” enthused McKee.