The non-playing captain had been hopeful of following up his team's success in their previous Inter Union fixture against Teesside when they travelled to Driffield GC.

But those hopes had pretty much been shattered by lunchtime when the visitors found themselves 10-2 down, and despite some game battling in the afternoon singles, they had given themselves far too big a mountain to climb and eventually slipped to a 22-14 reverse.

"We didn't do a lot wrong but we were a long way behind after the foursomes and it proved to much to make up," said Mear.

"It was a tough, very tight course but there are no excuses because they played it very well and to be fair they were a strong side with the likes of English Amateur Stroke Play champion Steve Uzzell in the ranks."

Driffield is indeed a tricky venue with dog legs and testing approach shots throughout, but conditions were ideal apart from the greens which were a touch slow and bumpy on occasions.

And the Halifax and Huddersfield challenge began well with Hebden Bridge stalwart Iain Powell and Fixby's Richard Broadley taking an early two hole lead on Hornsea GC man Uzzell and Andy Lockwood, only for the home duo to grind their way back and clinch victory with a birdie on the last.

However, Bradley Hall pair Andy Shaw and Jim Fairhurst restored parity by winning 3 & 2 and it looked like it was all to play for.

But sadly, that was as good as it got as West End pair Sam Bridges and Frank Greaves lost 2 & 1, Dewsbury duo Ben Crowther and Edward Battye had a real off day and crashed 7 & 6, and then the final two pairs, youngsters Frazer Scholefield and Mathew Colcombe followed by Jared Ellison and Andy Appleyard, both lost narrowly.

It was always going to be tough to pull back such a big deficit, but Mear's men gave it a go, Broadley winning the first two holes against Uzzell in the opening match and Powell edging ahead in the second clash.

But Uzzell fougth back to win it on the 17th and though Powell held on for a deserved win, the next four matches all went the way of the East Riding with Shaw, Fairhurst, Battye and Bridges all going down with the result that East Riding had secured the 20 points they required for victory.

To their credit, the visitors' tail wagged with Crowther, Greaves, Scholefield, Colcombe and Appleyard all winning, with Ellison's defeat the only reverse in the later stages.

That gave a much more respectable look to the final score but unfortunately the destination of the points had already been settled and Mear now has three weeks to regroup his forces before the next clash against the York Union at Heworth GC.