Union side's fine fightback

The Halifax-Huddersfield Union's select side hit back from an 8-4 deficit at lunch to beat Leeds 19-17 at Bradley Park on Sunday.
Golf - Halifax & Huddersfield v Leeds at Bradley Park GC. Harry Mowl from Crow Nest Park GCGolf - Halifax & Huddersfield v Leeds at Bradley Park GC. Harry Mowl from Crow Nest Park GC
Golf - Halifax & Huddersfield v Leeds at Bradley Park GC. Harry Mowl from Crow Nest Park GC

Frank Greaves’s side were producing a fine response to their defeat away to champions Sheffield in their Yorkshire Inter-District League opener.

Greaves billed the Leeds match as the battle of “the two heirs apparent from 2017” and it proved to be a fine contest on a glorious day.

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Success was clinched when Scott Minto holed a par-saving putt on 17 to guarantee himself at least a share of the spoils in his match and earn Halifax-Huddersfield’s 19th point.

Leeds won the top three morning foursomes matches.

Tom Hunt and Josh Morton lost to former Yorkshire champion Adam Frontal’s 23 foot putt on the last. The next two games were always in visitors’ favour, Tom Calvert and Aaron Schnacke losing 3 and 2 and looking out of sorts and Jamie Smith and Sam Bridges going down by the same score.

Scott Minto and Josh McAspurn went five up early on and cruised to 4 and 3 win.

Youngsters James Edwards and Harry Mowl, full of confidence and hay fever, surrendered a three hole lead only to retrieve it and win 3 and 2.

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Debutant Dan Moville and Isaac Turner never seemed to get going against experienced opponents who gave nothing away and lost 2 and 1.

It was a different story in the afternoon, Hunt setting the ball rolling by beating Frontal narrowly and Schnacke hitting top form and winning 2 and 1 with the help of birdies on 14 and 15.

Smith birdied the first two and was five up after five. He was pegged back to two up after 12 but went on to win 3 and 2.

McAspurn trailed Tom North by four holes early on and it proved too big a gap to bridge but Calvert has found some consistency and following a birdie at nine to be all square he was soon three up and held on.

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Edwards had told Greaves he would win and duly did but by now Turner had lost heavily to Barry Hardcastle.

With five wins from seven singles matches, the hosts were 14-12 up.

Bridges, four up on the 13th tee with the help of an audacious chip in at the eighth from near the out of bounds fence after a penalty drop, was well on the way to a 5 and 4 win.

Mowl lost to Rob Wardle but Hunt had won. Moville, up in his game since the second hole, ended up losing in spite of a birdie on the last, but Minto sealed success in a halved contest with Ryan Beach.

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Halifax-Huddersfield’s next match is against Bradford at Dewsbury on June 24.

Results (Hx-Hudds names first) - foursomes: Josh Morton & Tom Hunt lost to Adam Frontal & Dan Bradbury 1 down, Aaron Schnacke & Tom Calvert lost to Tom North & Craig Wyatt 3&2, Sam Bridges & James Edwards lost to Neil Coyne & Barry Hardcastle 3&2, James Edwards & Harry Mowl bt Neil Clark & Rob Wardle 3&2, Scott Minto & Josh McAspurn bt Ade Arnold & Ryan Beach 4&3, Danny Moville & Isaac Turner lost to John Rae & Steve Cain 2&1.

Singles: Morton (Huddersfield) bt Frontal 1up, Schnacke (Huddersfield) bt Bradbury 2&1, McAspurn (Meltham) lost to North 3&2, Calvert (Huddersfield) bt Watt 3&2, Smith (Halifax) bt Clark 3&2, Edwards (Huddersfield) bt Arnold 4&2, Turner (Woodsome Hall) lost to Hardcastle 6&5, Mowl (Crow Nest Park) lost to Wardle 2&1, Hunt (Meltham) by Coyne 3&2, Minto (Hanging Heaton) and Beach finish all square, Moville (Huddersfield) lost to Cain 1 down, Bridges (Bradley Hall) bt Rae 5&4.

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