Halifax-Huddersfield golfers close in on historic title

Their victory at Halifax left team manager Frank Greaves “absolutely beaming” as it created an imposing 18 match-point difference over second-placed East Riding who, like the holders of the YIDU crown, have won five and halved one this summer.

It means Halifax-Huddersfield will go into their final encounter against Sheffield at Dore & Totley on September 7 knowing that any triumph will most likely see them claim successive YIDU League championships for the first time in the competition's 38-year history.

“The match-points difference is worth loads,” says Greaves, whose side led 11-1 after the foursomes against Teesside and cruised to an 18-6 tally in the singles. “If we win 19-17, for example, East Riding [away to York at Sandburn Hall] will need to win 28-8 to tie us. If we win 20-16 they'd have to win 29-17, and so on.”

Ahead of facing Teesside, Greaves had called on his players to win big, but with four top order players unavailable in Huddersfield's Habib Khan and Dylan Shaw-Radford plus George Hanson (Crosland Heath) and Adam Walker (Ryburn) he felt “a bit of trepidation”.

This unease was swiftly swept aside and the 2023 Yorkshire seniors stroke play champion commented: “This group just know what to do, now, and how to do it. I don't know if I add much now.”

Despite his humility, Halifax-Huddersfield undoubtedly still benefit from his drive, determination and diligent preparation, and the side will be buoyed at Dore & Totley by the return of not only Khan, Shaw-Radford, Hanson and Walker but also James Cassell (Huddersfield) and Damion Berry (Lightcliffe).

Their confidence will be further tempered by their success at the Yorkshire amateur championship at Cleveland where Halifax-Huddersfield lifted the county's Inter District Plate, awarded to the union whose competitors accrue the lowest four-round aggregate over the first two days.

“We only play for three trophies as a union each year and we've won one and are looking good for one more,” said Greaves, who will have to tussle with the task of whittling down a huge pool of talent to submit just six names to compete in the YIDU Team Championship at Crosland Heath on September 14.

“I know I have a big decision to make at some point,” he added, but first comes the league match with Sheffield on a course that will be unfamiliar to his team although he will be able to pass on course management knowledge acquired while playing at Dore & Totley last year for the Yorkshire seniors.