Halifax-Huddersfield lead the way after crushing Bradford

Team manager Frank Greaves saw his charges ignore a deluge that enveloped the course during the foursomes to sweep their visitors 12-0 and then assure overall victory as early as game five in the singles.

Halifax Bradley Hall's Sam Bridges, the union's stroke play champion George Hanson (Crosland Heath) and James Skirrow, of Huddersfield, extended their perfect starts to the season while five of their teammates were 100 percenters at Meltham. Among these was debutant and home player Rob Dunleavy.

The title holders secured first place through a superior match points difference by melding accomplished golf with some tenacious fightbacks.

Bridges and Skirrow were one down in the morning through 16, but emerged one-hole winners before each affected singles turnarounds, Bridges triumphing two up having trailed by four after eight and Skirrow overturning a two-hole disadvantage.

Lightcliffe's Damion Berry was four down as he walked up the 11th fairway, where he was provided with pain relief tablets to combat discomfort in his back, and was victorious at the last.

Greaves, impressed with all of his team's efforts, was keen to laud a magnanimous gesture from Bingley St Ives' Harry Phillips, who refused to accept the win rightly awarded to him when Saddleworth's Lee Rowbotham, although ahead, conceded with a couple of holes to play after jolting his back. Phillips insisted the pair share the spoils.

East Riding were overhauled at the the top despite winning 20-16 against Harrogate at Ripon City, Halifax-Huddersfield's match points differential being 36 to East Riding's 22.

Sheffield claimed third with a 24-12 downing of York at Fulford while Teesside are bottom having lost 21-15 to Leeds at Cleveland.

Huddersfield duo James Cassell and Matthew Spink are in line to make their bows for the union's senior team at Driffield on Sunday for a match in which victory for either team could prove crucial – even in match week three of seven - in deciding the destiny of this year's YIDU championship.

Crosland Heath's Rishworth will be missing because of Open qualifying the next day and clubmate Josh McAspurn, another with back problems, is a big doubt. Rowbotham was due to consult a chiropractor about his issues while work commitments are likely to preclude reigning Halifax-Huddersfield Union singles match play champion Habib Khan from playing.

Halifax-Huddersfield have found themselves outmatched in their opening two junior YIDU matches, losing 31-5 on each occasion, to Teesside at Blackwell Grange and Leeds at Garforth.