Yorkshire golf: York remain out front in YIDU League but Sheffield and Bradford are on their heels

Captain Martin Greaves's men will be the only unbeaten side going into the fourth round of matches, but Sheffield and Bradford are both just one win adrift of them.

York took a 9-3 lead from the morning foursomes against Leeds and after Martin Brown and James Cass secured early singles points, they eased to their third win of the campaign.

Greaves said: "It was an excellent result. This is three out of three. We have played one of the bigger unions and we have come up trumps with a very strong team.

"We got off to a very good start in the morning and the spirit of the team came out in the afternoon.

"This gives us a lot of confidence for the rest of the season. We have got a tough match coming up next against Halifax-Huddersfield, but we go into that having enjoyed three very good wins so far. It's very much in our hands, really."

Brown (Pike Hills) and Cass (Fulford) teamed up successfully in the morning as they beat Tom North (Howley Hall) and Robbie Wardle (Selby) 3&2 to get York off to a perfect start.

Although David Hague (Malton & Norton) and Ollie Adamson (Pike Hills) fell by the same scoreline to Andy Wiltshire (Pontefract) and Andy King (Garforth), that was the only win Leeds enjoyed in a disappointing morning for the visitors.

Jamie Miller (Fulford) and Alistair Smith (Pike Hills) defeated Damien Simpson (Waterton) and Barry Hardcastle (Wike Ridge) 4&3 and the Fulford pair of Damon Coulson and Rob Moore fought back from three down to grab a half against Dan Bradbury (Wakefield) and Tom Broxup (Cookridge Hall).

When the Sandburn Hall pair of Rob Heath and Will Adamson saw off Jez Howarth (Moortown) and Paddy Noble (Leeds) 3&2, and Chris Lone (York) and Will Pepper (Fulford) edged Les Measham (Normanton) and Ryan Armitage (Pontefract) 2&1, York were in a commanding position.

Leeds required a fast start in the singles, but they found themselves even further behind as Brown dominated against Broxup in a 5&4 success and Cass finished a busy week, which saw him competing in Open qualifying and at the Brabazon Trophy, with a 2&1 victory over North.

Leeds struck back as Wiltshire and King beat Hague and Miller 3&2 and 2 up respectively but the writing was on the wall for Leeds as Smith (4&3 over Bradbury) and Adamson (5&3 against Howarth) put York on the brink of victory.

Wardle and Armitage beat Moore and Coulson respectively, but Will Adamson's 4&2 toppling of Hardcastle put York over the line.

The hosts pushed on with Pepper produced an astonishing comeback to recover from five down to grab a half with Simpson and Heath shrugged off a heavy cold and hay fever to beat Measham 3&2.

Lone came home last with a 2&1 win over Noble to conclude York's emphatic victory.

Champions Sheffield, beaten by York in the opening fixture, added a 28-8 defeat of Teesside at Rotherham to their triumph at Horsforth over Leeds.

Bradford also have two wins from three following a 19-17 win over East Riding at The KP Club while Halifax-Huddersfield got off the mark for the season with a 21-15 defeat of Harrogate at Dewsbury & District.

The result at The KP Club was in doubt to the final match.

East Riding began strongly in the morning foursomes, leading comfortably in four matches at the turn while being down in only two.

However, Bradford rallied on the back nine to limit East Riding’s advantage to 7-5 at lunch. This scoreline could have been reversed had East Riding not holed two missable puts on the final green.

Bradford came out strongly in the afternoon singles, winning the top two matches comfortably before taking an overall lead, which they only briefly relinquished.

East Riding were playing catch-up, winning one match only to lose the next, winning two then losing two.

With one match remaining, the scores were tied, but that encounter went Bradford's way on the 17th hole, giving Bradford a narrow win.

Scoring maximum points for East Riding were Rich Webster (Bridlington) and Ryan Gray (Driffield) and for Bradford, Chris Green (Cleckheaton), Dane Bairstow (Bingley St Ives), Andy Busfield (South Bradford) and Warren Kemp (Hollins Hall).

Lawrence Batley Seniors League is now into the second half of its season and in Section A, pacesetters Woodsome Hall and Crosland Heath fought out a 4-4 draw at Woodsome, after the reverse fixture had been washed out for a second time a week earlier.

Marsden moved up to third with a 5-3 away win at South Bradford while Calverley broke their season’s duck with a 7-1 victory at home against Bradford Moor.

Crow Nest Park returned to the top of Section B following their 6-2 home win against Branshaw - a repeat of the result at Branshaw between the sides - and Silkstone’s surprise 5-3 home defeat 5-3 to Outlane.

Silkstone drop to second while Todmorden’s 8-0 home win over Hebden Bridge, which avenged the previous week’s defeat by the Mount Skip club, moved them up into third spot.

Two drawn matches in Section C together with a thumping 8-0 home victory for Dewsbury District over Bradley Park combined to leave Hanging Heaton well clear at the top although they have played at least one fixture more than most of the other teams in the section. Only 12 points separate the remaining seven teams.

Huddersfield’s recent run of form saw them hit the front in Section D. They played Wortley twice, drawing 4-4 away and winning a 6-2 win at home.

Blackley, having played a match fewer, went second with a sound home win over Bradley Hall while there were also resounding home wins for Lightcliffe and Queensbury.