Yorkshire golf: Lindrick's Bailey Gill crowned Yorkshire match play champion at Selby

He edged Ilkley's Ed Cowan by one hole in a keenly-contested final at Selby, where the top 32 players from last month's Yorkshire amateur stroke play championship competed over three days.

But he was severely tested with Cowan fighting back to parity at one stage from three holes down.

Gill birdied the first to take an immediate lead in the final, but Cowan's response - pulling all square at the next - gave an indication of the tense battle that was to follow.

The Lindrick man holed a monster putt for birdie at seven to regain the lead with Cowan struggling after his drive finished under a tree.

The Ilkley man took advantage of Gill's failure to hole a 10ft birdie putt at the par-3 eighth by getting up and down for a half.

Nine and 10 were halved in regulation before Gill holed from 10ft for birdie three at 11 to go two up after Cowan's 15ft putt shaved the hole.

Gill slotted in a birdie putt from around 20ft to win the 12th for a three-hole lead, but struggled with his driving at the next two holes and par was good enough for Cowan to win back a hole on the 14th.

The tee at the par-3 15th had been moved right back to a playing length of 230 yards, Cowan applying pressure by finding the centre of the green.

Gill's tee shot finished in a bunker in an awkward lie, and after he failed to get out at the first time of asking, a two-putt par gave Cowan another hole.

The momentum was with him and at the long par-4 16th he played two perfect shots to 10ft. Gill played a superb shot from under a bush and then got up and down for his par, but Cowan carded the birdie to be back to all square.

At the 17th, Gill struck what proved to be the decisive blow by birdieing the hole from 3ft to lead again, although Cowan's 40ft putt finished just short right in the jaws of the hole.

There was no coming back this time for Cowan and Gill sealed a one-hole win.

In the semi-final Cowan had overwhelmed Yorkshire county player Martin Brown (Pike Hills) 8&7 while Gill bested Wath's Nick Poppleton, recent winner of the Lee Westwood Trophy, 2&1.

In previous rounds, ultimate champion Gill defeated Jake Hamilton (Huddersfield) 2&1, Shipley's Callum Hey 3&2 and Wheatley's Kealan Lowe at the 20th hole.

He will be pleased that an error of judgment at the third - where he incurred a shot penalty and loss of the hole after marking his ball before realising it was not on the green - did not ultimayely cost him.

Cowan had reached the last four with wins over Phoenix's Jordan Perry by 3&2, Scott Clegg (Owston Hall) 2&1 and Josh Fox (Wilton) at the 20th hole.

He had been a reserve at the start of the week and - with his father Neil on the bag - deserved credit for both his play and his demeanour.