Men’s team take national county title for first time in nine years
Yorkshire won the English Men’s County Championship for the 21st time, beating Hampshire by two points in a final day showdown at Sandwell Park in Staffordshire.
Although Yorkshire dominate the list of past winners, this is their first victory for nine years and the victory was sweet, especially after the boys’ and women’s teams narrowly lost their county finals.
Team captain Darryl Berry, who has played in two winning sides, said: “This is great for the team and for all our supporters. It’s been a brilliant team effort, the lads have been great.”
Yorkshire set up their win with an excellent foursomes performances, winning 2.5 of the three available points. “That was massive,” said Berry, who sent his top players out in the singles with instructions to get their points as quickly as possible. Steve Robins and Kealan Lowe, playing in the first two games, duly obliged as both won 3&2.
Robins was bogey-free and five under-par when he finished, while Lowe, the Yorkshire order of merit winner, sank a 4ft putt to close out his match.
Hampshire had the momentum in the next three games with Billy McKenzie fighting back from 3dn at the turn to beat Bailey Gill 2up.
He was followed by Ryan Harmer who, having been up most of the way against Yorkshire champion Ben Hutchinson, was pulled back to all square with two to play but managed to win 1up.
English champion Dan Brown was beaten 3&2 by Hampshire’s Mark Burgess and Yorkshire’s hopes of that extra point were pinned on the match between Will Whiteoak and Hampshire captain Martin Young.
Whiteoak held a 1up advantage for most of the back nine, helped by holing a monster putt for a half on 14. He held on to that slender lead, holing a good putt from 10ft on the last to finish 1up.
“We wanted to win outright and that’s why I put Will at the back,” said Berry. “He’s a pressure man and he brings it home every time.”
