Greaves praises '˜magnificent' team

The Halifax-Huddersfield Union team's superb season continued with a fifth win on the bounce yesterday, by 24-12 against York at Forest Park.
Golf - Halifax & Huddersfield v Leeds at Bradley Park GC. Halifax and Huddersfield team boss Frank Greaves.Golf - Halifax & Huddersfield v Leeds at Bradley Park GC. Halifax and Huddersfield team boss Frank Greaves.
Golf - Halifax & Huddersfield v Leeds at Bradley Park GC. Halifax and Huddersfield team boss Frank Greaves.

Their opening defeat away to Sheffield looks likely to prove the Yorkshire Inter-District League’s key result of 2018 but Frank Greaves’s side will finish runners-up if they beat Teesside in their final match at Meltham on September 2.

Second place would be one higher than last year but Halifax-Huddersfield already have 10 points after finishing 2017 with seven.

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Sunday’s visitors led 8-4 after the morning foursomes and stretched clear by winning seven of the 12 singles contests with two matches finishing all square.

Halifax’s Mark Birkett, Huddersfield pair Aaron Schnacke and James Edwards and Meltham’s Tom Hunt won both their contests.

Team boss Greaves, who played again and won his singles, said a number of matches had been settled on the 18th and the visiting players had shown mental strength to come out on top in most of them.

Greaves, whose enthusiasm and organisational skills have also helped the Union juniors win their title for the first time this summer, added: “We’re striving to improve as a group each year and eventually challenge Sheffield for the title.

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“All of this is exciting. The boys are magnificent to be around; focused, skilful and best of all they are decent lads.”

Hunt (38 points) leads the order of merit by two from Huddersfield’s Josh Morton and Birkett, who took maximum points for the fourth match running.

Former Crow Nest Park junior captain James Edwards maintained his 100 per cent record in three matches this year after playing his third shot to the par five last laid on the ground to move his ball from under a conifer.

Foursomes partner Harry Mowl won the last two holes to get a half in his afternoon contest while Greaves single putted the last six greens to win by one hole.

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In a tactical move, Josh McAspurn and Scott Minto played near the end of the singles and both won.

Lightcliffe’s Matthew Holden, recent winner of the Union junior strokeplay and from a talented golfing family, partnered Birkett to a comfortable success but lost his singles by the narrowest of margins.

Results (York names first) - Foursomes: W Adamson and G Robson lost to J Morton and T Hunt 2&1, N Dyson and M Christie lost to A Schnacke & T Calvert 4&3, J Elliott and R Estabrooks bt J McAspurn and S Minto 2&1, T George and M Newton lost to H Mowl and J Edwards 4&2, T Pyman and I White bt F Greaves & G McLean 2&1, R Whiteley and J Tattersall lost to M Holden and M Birkett 3&2.

Singles: Robson and Morton (Huddersfield) finished all square, Adamson lost to Schnacke (Huddersfield) 2 down, Christie lost to Hunt (Meltham) 1 down, Dyson bt Calvert (Huddersfield) 2&1, Pyman lost to Edwards (Huddersfield) 1 down, Newton lost to Birkett (Halifax) 5&3, George lost to Greaves (Huddersfield) 1 down, Elliott bt Holden (Lightcliffe) 1 up, Tattersall and Mowl (Crow Nest Park) finished all square, Estabrooks lost to McAspurn (Meltham) 2&1, Whiteley (Fulford) bt McLean (Meltham) 2&1, White lost to Minto (Hanging Heaton) 5&4.