Yorkshire golf - YIDU review: Harrogate players urged to use league as stepping stone to county level

Ward's side made a bright start in 2016, with a win and a half from their first two matches before losing four of the last five to finish sixth overall.

There was encouragement as they ran both eventual champions Sheffield and runners-up York close, going down 19-17 to the former at Thirsk & North Allerton and 20-16 to the latter at Masham.

The Harrogate captain, while appreciative that individual tournaments at times take precedence over union matches, feels his side should be aware that such performances as those against Sheffield and York might lead to elevation to the White Rose ranks.

“There's always a lot of other things going on and quite often I won't have players because of, for example, club championships or they are preferring to play in other things personally,” says Ward.

“Some of them don't realise this is one step below county and if you turn out in these and play reasonable you get recognition from the Yorkshire selectors; they notice what's happening.

“If you go to play Sheffield and play a top Sheffield guy and take him to the last, and he's been playing for the county for the last three years, all of a sudden your back is being watched and they are looking out for your next result.

“It is really a breeding ground for the county team, but it is certainly not the background for the county team; that comes from the juniors themselves. Good juniors like Dan Brown (the English amateur champion) and others come through and go on to better things because of their ability and the fact that they have become known at a young age.”

Brown was a club-mate of Ward's at Bedale before moving to Masham.

“I have known him since he was about eight or nine years old, so I have had the good fortune of him learning from me when I was playing well to now where I go and do a bit of caddying for him and stuff like that,” says Ward.

“I have got experience that he still doesn't have yet - but he has got the ability that I never had.”

Looking back, Ward still rues his side “snatching defeat from the jaws of victory” against Halifax-Huddersfield in game three, at Dewsbury District. A victorious outcome there would have meant them finishing the campaign on the same number of points as third-placed East Riding.

“We started off quite well with the half at East Riding, we beat Bradford and then we were up in the morning against Halifax-Huddersfield and lost the last six matches in the afternoon,” he says, adding: “The tail did not wag.”

It did so though in the match with Sheffield when a win or half for Harrogate would have altered the outcome of the overall championship.

“I have never seen a Sheffield executive looking so worried as in that match,” recalls Ward. “We beat them in the afternoon singles, which we had never done before in my captaincy.

“What cost us was what we did in the morning foursomes. We lost 8-4, but it should have been six apiece, which would have been the difference in the afternoon.

“The second or third match out, we were one up playing 17 and lost both holes to lose it one down, so we went from what potentially could have been six-all to 8-4.

“Against York, we held them six apiece in the morning and it was touch and go either way in the singles. We were five games each in the singles with two matches left on the course, one at one down. We thought that he might turn it round for us to get a half, but the lad ended up losing 2&1.But again, it was a good effort.”

Harrogate's development put a big tick in the plus side of the balance sheet, with juniors being involved to prepare them for more regular duty in years to come.

“I have managed to bring in lads who are absolutely keen and it has been a case of trying to develop the ones who are coming through from the juniors and keep them involved in the men's team,” explains Ward, whose player of the year was Jason Taylor, of Knaresborough.

“The player of the year is based on the matches they play for the union and what they do at club level and also their performance in union events,” says Ward.

“I think he got to the final of the match play, but lost it, and he did very well in the stroke play. He's just an all-round out-and-out decent player.

“He could easily have gone on to the pro scene, but decided to stay amateur and last year he was exceptional.

“There are about four or five players in the junior ranks who are coming through. They won't all make the grade, but there are certainly a couple of them who are well worth considering for the team in 2017.

“I've done three years as captain and it is hard work on a Saturday evening at 9 o'clock when someone cries off and you have got to try to talk someone into playing the following morning, and they are out at a pub or in a nightclub somewhere.”

“There is a good possibility a couple of players who were unavailable this year due to personal circumstances will also return.

“And it was fantastic to see Chris Green win the individual prize in that team championship at Bradley Hall. Chris is a true team player - for club and union - who does not seek the limelight and is very deserving of his success.”

Look out for reviews and captains' thoughts on Leeds and East Riding unions - online on Sunday.