Golf: Last-hole drama as Leeds go toe to toe with champions

Team manager Nigel McKee’s side looked on course to lunch 7-5 up on their guests before three foursomes matches twisted in East Riding’s favour on the 18th.

Garforth’s Josh Bassitt and James Trant (Cookridge Hall) had to settle for a half having stood on the 18th tee one up, a lengthy putt from off the green nudged Sam Claypole, of Darrington, and Saul Gilford (Moor Allerton) to a one-hole loss despite their opponents having driven out of bounds, and then an East Riding birdie denied Bailey Hird, also Cookridge, and debutant Tom J Day (Headingley) maximum points from their match.

The decisive blow came when, in the last match to finish, Cookridge Hall’s Nathan Ali stumbled to a double bogey six on the final hole to lose a topsy-turvy match when a half would have left the game tied at 18-18.

Some salve was applied to the disappointment of defeat for McKee in knowing that his side had stood toe to toe with the champions and played some brilliant golf in brutal conditions, with severe gusting winds adding to the difficulties of contending with dry, bare, fast-running fairways.

The standard of play was underscored in the afternoon by two matches being witness to holes that were halved with eagles.

Claypole and Ganton’s Jack Northgraves shared the 499-yard par-5 eighth and Bassitt and Steve Uzzell, recently crowned East Riding’s stroke play champion, did likewise at the 505-yard par-5 14th.

Selby’s Martin Simpson continues to be in imperious league form and has won all six games, against York, Bradford and now East Riding. He teamed up with Garforth’s Steve Cain, as he had against Bradford, and they replicated their previous 3&2 triumph. Simpson added a 3&1 singles victory in the afternoon.

Day overcame his morning foursomes disappointment to win 4&2 in the singles to be unbeaten on the day, as were Cain, who halved his singles with Hessle veteran Andy Woodhead, and Bassitt, who halved both of his games.

Further encouragement for Leeds came with the news that erstwhile leaders Halifax-Huddersfield had also lost, 21-15 to then bottom team Teesside, meaning that only Sheffield sit ahead of them on points, this after a 26-10 romp at home to Harrogate. Bradford had 11 players put points on the board as they got off the mark for the season at Easingwold, their 21-15 victory pushing winless hosts York to the bottom of the table.

McKee will next take his men to Bedale on July 10 to face Harrogate.