KirkwoodGolf: ENGLISH WOMEN'S COUNTY CHSHIP

Friday, September 08, 2006

ENGLISH WOMEN'S COUNTY CHSHIP

YORKSHIRE WIN TITLE FOR THIRD TIME IN ROW
- BUT IT'S A CLOSE-RUN FINISH WITH GLOUCESTER

Yorkshire completed a hat trick of wins in ELGA's county golf championship at Copt Heath when they beat Gloucestershire on a countback of matches won.
The champions scored 20 points at the county finals, one more than Gloucestershire.
The result was an action replay of last year when Yorkshire also pushed Gloucestershire into second place on points.
"This is a tremendous win for Yorkshire," said county captain Ann McMullen.
The result gives Yorkshire their seventh victory in the nine years. This year's title was decided after the two rivals met head-to-head on the last day of the finals, having both won their earlier two matches.
About 250 spectators watched as the tense and exciting action unfolded and led to a halved match, with both counties scoring 4½ points.
Yorkshire held a slender 2-1 advantage after the morning foursomes but Gloucestershire struck straight back in the singles when Jo Hodge beat Rachel Bell and Hannah Barwood defeated the Curtis Cup player Naomi Edwards.
"I just gave it everything," said 16-year-old Hannah, who played a wedge to two inches on the 14th, holed a 30-footer on the 15th and a 20-footer on the 16th.
The balance then swung back in Yorkshire's favour when both Emma Duggleby and 15-year-old Nicola Dunn won their matches.
But Gloucestershire's Sian James made the scoreline four-all when she defeated Sara Garbutt.
The result was decided only when the final game was played out and Yorkshire's Rachael Lomas came back from one down after 16 to halve her match with English mid-amateur champion Charlotte Ellis.
In the day's other match Hertfordshire and Cambs & Hunts also halved.
Match results.
Wednesday: Yorkshire beat Cambs & Hunts 6½-2½. Gloucestershire beat Hertfordshire 8½-½.
Thursday: Yorkshire beat Hertfordshire 9-0. Gloucestershire beat Cambs & Hunts 6-3. Friday: Yorkshire halved with Gloucestershire 4½-4½. Hertfordshire halved with Cambs & Hunts 4½-4½.
FINAL PLACINGS
1 Yorkshire 20 points. 2 Gloucestershire 19 pts. 3 Cambs & Hunts 10pts. 4 Hertfordshire 5 pts.