Yorkshire golf: White Rose denied English Women's County Finals title by last-day defeat

Captain Dawn Clegg's side had trailed 2-1 from the morning foursomes and needed a one-point surfeit in the afternoon singles to turn things around at Waterlooville, in Hampshire.

A tie in the match would have been enough for Yorkshire to lift the championship as they had won all four contests heading into the final day while Gloucestershire had recorded three wins and a tie.

Yorkshire had taken 18 of the 24 singles points available in four successive wins ahead of the final series of matches against Gloucestershire.

But they were unable to achieve more than afternoon parity, two of the matches being halved and two victories - for Woodsome Hall's Rochelle Morris and Cleckheaton's Megan Clarke - being offset by two defeats.

On the only previous occasion they had trailed at lunchtime - on day one against Staffordshire - their response was a 6-0 singles clean sweep.

But Gloucestershire proved far tougher opposition and Yorkshire will rue the fact that their champion Megan Garland (Selby) was unable to turn a two-hole advantage through 13 holes into a win in the top match.

Alison Knowles (Hickleton) had three wins from as many singles matches ahead of Friday, but had to be content with a half in match two.

Rotherham's Olivia Winning was bested 3&2 to give Gloucestershire a two-point cushion, but Clarke reduced the gap with her 3&2 triumph.

In the anchor match, Curtis Cup player Morris edged a tight encounter 2&1 leaving the title resting on match five, involving Lightcliffe's Hannah Holden.

She trailed for much of the match and lost her unbeaten singles record for the week, going down 2&1 and Gloucestershire were anointed champions.

Clegg had rested Morris and Garland yesterday afternoon and they returned to action with a 3&2 foursomes win in the morning.

But the other two matches went Gloucestershire's way.

Clarke and Holden trailed by two holes at the turn, reduced the deficit to one, but lost the last hole for a two-hole loss.

Knowles and Winning had lived up to the latter's name by triumphing in all four of their foursomes matches together from Monday through Thursday.

They fought hard to retain the record after trailing by three holes heading for home and clawed two holes back.

They took the game up the final hole, but lost one down for Knowles's first loss in eight singles and foursomes matches at that point.