Traditionally, the last Thursday in August is always the date for the boys version of the Yorkshire Inter District Six Man Team Championships. This year it was held at the lovely Richmond Golf Club in North Yorkshire with the Teesside Union playing host to the other seven Unions. This event is a team based format played over 36 holes stroke play, with the overall winners being the Union with the best 10 scores from 12 on the day, five from the morning rounds and five from the afternoon rounds. A long day!!
Homework on the course was done the day before courtesy of a practice round at Richmond. The course was beautifully presented and with small sloping greens and very few bunkers. This course would almost certainly test all aspects of the boys' games. With some stunning views across the surrounding countryside and to the hills beyond, this is visually a beautiful place to be.
Spirits were good in the camp as all players were showing signs of good current form coming into this event. The team was most certainly bolstered by the confidence of finishing second in the Inter District League, decided the previous Friday.
On a bright crisp Thursday morning with no wind at all, a two tee start meant that the boys got to work slightly quicker than usual. It became clear very early on that the player who could hold his nerve on the slick greens would do well! With a mixture of some very tricky flag placements and lovely putting surfaces, so it was proved with nobody taking the course apart. It was definitely a case of understanding what a good score was on any given day!!
As the morning wore on and nobody under par anywhere on the course, there was talk of players taking 4 and even 5 putts on some holes! The greens were giving the players nightmares!! However if players hit the right areas of the greens, there was a score to be had with the initial clubhouse lead being set by the East Riding courtesy of Luke Thornton with a beautifully crafted two over 73. With only one other score under 75 in the morning from a player in the Sheffield Union, it gives an idea of how testing the course was playing and how good a score sub 75 was!
All credit to the boys who all kept battling away. Warren Burns and Ewan Mackenzie made it back to the clubhouse with very respectable scores of 77 and 78 blows respectively. Luke Townhill and George Coope both made it home in 79 each. Callum Burns found things a little more challenging with his 86. However, that didn’t matter as we had five solid rounds already in. So after the morning rounds with an aggregate score of 386 strokes for the counting five rounds, the East Riding were joint second with Sheffield Union. The leaders were Teesside Union with an aggregate score of 381.
The competition committee took the unusual step of moving two hole locations for the afternoon rounds as the hole positions were considered too challenging for the boys. So to the afternoon rounds and more fun and games were to be had!
Initially there was much excitement in the East Riding camp as word got back that both Luke Thornton and Ewan Mackenzie were 3 under par after seven holes. Great starts by both boys, but the course saw to it that shots were given back slowly over the next 11 holes. Both players finished with scores of 71 and 73 respectively. Very good performances by both of them.
Team Captain Luke Townhill was level par through 13 holes whilst George Coope and Callum Burns were also going well. It was hard to know where to be or who to watch! Frustration was winning over poor Warren Burns. He was playing well, but for a few unlucky bounces, his afternoon round of 84 would have been so much better. All credit to him, his head never went down and he battled all the way in.
With two excellent counting scores posted, word got out to the course that things were really tight at the top. Callum Burns was fourth home with a score of 80, shortly followed by an excellent 73 from Luke Townhill. Oh boy, this was getting ridiculously close!
So to the last matches on the course, a good par at the tricky 17th meant George Coope needed to hold his nerve at the last hole to give the Union a chance at a strong top three finish at worst. All credit to George as he had sense of potentially what was at stake as the other team members were out supporting and encouraging him. He couldn’t quite finish with a par, but still managed an 80. So to the scorer’s table we all went hoping for good news. As previously described, it was very close indeed. Sheffield had put five very good scores together to catch Teesside as had the East Riding. Teesside had also put five good scores together. So how did it all stand?
Sheffield were the eventual winners with East Riding finishing ahead of Teesside by a single shot to finish runners up, again!! What a day, what a season. For the Union to make the progress it has made this year is awesome. We finished second bottom in the league and the six man team event last year, so to finishing runners-up overall in both events is a stunning effort by the boys. Luke Thornton's two round aggregate of 144 took the trophy for best individual on the day. New runners-up trophies, donated by Frank Greaves of Halifax and Huddersfield Union, for the league and six man were presented to East Riding, with Sheffield doing the double.
[Pictured left to right are: Callum Burns, Ewan Mackenzie, George Coope, Team Manager Sunil Mukerjea, Luke Townhill, Warren Burns, Luke Thornton and ERUGC President Mike Dawson]
Well done and thank you to everyone who has contributed to the team this year, all 22 of you. Thank you to Richmond GC and Teesside Union for your hospitality and a very enjoyable day. To the Inter District Secretary, Alan Baraclough thank you for everything you do. It is greatly appreciated by us all. To the wonderfully supportive parents who always help so much, thank you. To the boys who played, great effort chaps a massive congratulations and thank you. You have one very happy and proud Junior Team Manager. Until next time, thank you and good night!
Sunil Mukerjea
Junior Team Manager
