Greaves calls for big finish as Union seek to defend title
Team manager Frank Greaves has urged Halifax-Huddersfield to win and win big, both as individuals and as a team, as they prepare for their final two matches in defence of their Yorkshire Inter-District Union League title.
His side produced an overwhelming singles display to beat York 23-13 at Pike Hills while their leading championship challengers East Riding defeated Sheffield 21-15 at Wath.
It left Halifax-Huddersfield and East Riding with identical records of four wins and a draw, the latter when they met at Driffield in June, as well as identical match points records (115 accrued, 65 conceded).
East Riding have their noses ahead by virtue of having won a mere four holes more than the champions over the 90 individual matches each has faced, prompting Greaves's call for both Teesside and Sheffield to be overcome convincingly on August 17, at Halifax, and September 7, at Dore and Totley, respectively.
As against Harrogate in their previous battle, Halifax-Huddersfield were held 6-6 in the morning foursomes before obliterating York 17-7 in the singles, with the leading quartet of Huddersfield's Habib Khan and Dylan-Shaw Radford plus George Hanson (Crosland Heath) and Adam Walker (Ryburn) returning three wins and a half between them.
Ever-present Hanson has now triumphed in nine out of 10 matches this campaign, but he and Khan will not face Teesside as they will be on duty for Yorkshire, while Shaw-Radford and Walker are also unavailable.
But Greaves is confident that he has sufficient strength in his squad to prevail against Teesside when Halifax Bradley Hall's Connah Judson will return and Dan Henbest (Huddersfield), the union's Jubilee Trophy holder, will earn his second cap.
Halifax-Huddersfield have used 24 different players in the five matches to date, and Greaves commented: “We used 22 in 2019 and last year to win it we used 25. So you need that many.
“We haven't lost now in 16 matches, we're doing alright. The players are driven, and they know what’s in front of them. Firstly, we’ve got to win, and secondly it would be great to increase the points difference.
“After that we've got Sheffield away and that is looking quite good because I will have Dylan, George, Habib, Adam and James Cassell back.”
Crosland Heath's Josh McAspurn underscored the team spirit by playing through back pain at Pike Hills to return a win and a half in his first appearance of 2025.
He will have a cortisone injection ahead of Sunday to ensure his availability when Greaves hopes third-placed Leeds can do his side a favour by downing East Riding at Beverley & East Riding.