Yorkshire who were crowned English Senior Men’s County Champions after a narrow win over Sussex at Effingham. Picture by LEADERBOARD PHOTOGRAPHY

YORKSHIRE got their hands on the silverware at the English Senior Men’s County Finals helped by a moment of golfing gold from Andy King.

After three days of top quality play at Surrey’s Effingham Golf Club, the outcome of the 2019 final came down to the final two games on the course in a direct shootout between Yorkshire and Sussex.

Sussex knew a draw in the match would see them crowned champions by virtue of having won one more point in their victories over Lincolnshire and Dorset.

Yorkshire needed a win to top the leaderboard and claim the trophy for the second time in three years.

And with two games left out on the course the result hung in the balance.

Then came the moment of magic from King on the 17th hole in his match with Sussex Colin Jones.

With Jones one up, King, from Garforth GC, was faced with an 80-yard third shot into the tricky par five.

A large crowd gathered around the green as the veteran played a brilliant pitch-and-run and found the bottom of the cup for a miraculous eagle.

When he then halved the 18th with Jones, the half point from his game was good enough to give Yorkshire the title for the second time in three years – and leave Sussex as runners-up for a third year in a row.

After playing a key role in the 5-4 win to end the week undefeated in his games, a jubilant King said: “It’s hard to put this into words – what a brilliant effort from a great team.

“The chip on 17 was unbelievable. I hadn’t hit a very good five-wood and left myself 80 yards to go. I played a running shot with a nine-iron and it just kept going and going and then dropped.

“My emotion? Well, I just reached for my driver as I knew I still had a lot of work to do at 18.

“I knew my putt on 18 was crucial in terms of the match, but I didn’t know it was to secure the half point to win the title.

“I won’t lie it was hard to draw the putter back and even harder because I hover the putter behind the ball.

“But when it dropped and the team started cheering I knew we’d done it,” said King.

While there was understandable joy in the Yorkshire ranks, it was hard not to feel sorry for a Sussex side that have had to setttle for second yet again.

Yorkshire edged the morning foursomes 2-1, but after wins for Brighton & Hove’s Martin Galway and East Sussex National’s Steve Graham in the afternoon singles, Sussex needed one-and-a-half more points from the final two games to nail the victory.

But although Jones and Doug Park played valiantly to halve both their games, it wasn’t enough to rain on Yorkshire’s parade.

Sussex captain Rick Thomas must feel as if his team are cursed and the crestfallen look on his face at the conclusion of three fabulous days told a story.

“I’ve been here twice before and it doesn’t get any easier now we’ve lost out for a third time – and by just half a point,” said Thomas, from West Sussex Golf Club.

“I couldn’t have asked for any more from my team – they were terrific and it all boils down a single putt here and there.

“Congratulation to Yorkshire, who played with real grit and determination,” Thomas added magnanimously.

At one stage in the morning foursomes matches it looked as if Yorkshire might coast to a win rather than have to rely on late drama.

On the front nine, Yorkshire were up in all three games, but there were twists and turns still to come.

In the first game, Sussex duo Graham and Seaford’s Martin King were trailing thanks in part to a brilliant eagle on the eighth hole from England internationals Richard Norton (East Riding and Beverley) and Rotherham’ Rich Jones.

But with the match all-square heading down the 17th hole, Irish international Graham’s approach to the par five set up an eagle chance for his partner which King duly knocked in.

Yorkshire found trouble off the tee on 18 and could only make a bogey. With their opponents safely on in two a concession followed and the point went to Sussex.

The overall morning honours, however, went to Yorkshire.

Wakefield’s Stephen Mason maintained his fine form to make four wins in four outings by partnering Hessle’s Alan Wright to a 3&1 win against Selsey’s Malcolm Cawte and Mark Logan, from Copthorne.

There was final hole drama in the match between Sussex pair Jones (West Sussex) and Park and Yorkshire’s King and Ian Clarke, from Lindrick.

The Yorkshire duo were in command coming into the back nine, but Sussex fought to take the match down the last.

With Yorkshire bogeying the hole, Cooden Beach’s Park had a six-footer for par to earn a half point. However, his well-struck putt caught the lip of the hole and stayed above ground.

In the end it was small margins such as this over the three days which decided the destiny of the trophy.

The other match on the final day of the four-team round robin series involved Lincolnshire and Dorset playing for pride after losing on days one and two.

Eventually it was Dorset who came out on top with a 51/2-31/2 win to repeat their third-place finish from last year.

However, the glory of the week belonged to Yorkshire and skipper John Grimbleby.

The Howley Hall member said: “This was a brilliant advert for senior men’s golf and I’m so proud of my team – heroes one and all.”

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Yorshire’s Steve Mason (left) with Seniors captain John Grimbleby celebrate a win for the 65 year old who has just got down to scratch. Picture by LEADERBOARD PHOTOGRAPHY

SUSSEX and Yorkshire will go head to head on the final day to decide the winners of the 2019 English Senior Men’s County Championship at Surrey’s Effingham Golf Club.

Yorkshire have the bit between their teeth after a 6-3 victory against Lincolnshire kept them on track to repeat their 2017 success at the English Senior Men’s County Finals.

Sussex – bridesmaids in each of the last two years – have their eyes firmly on the prize after an emphatic 7-2 win against Dorset.

In a competition which promises to go right down to the wire, Sussex have the added cushion of knowing a draw against Yorkshire would be enough to see them crowned champions.

In the event of the teams being tied on match points, Sussex would take the title by virtue of the number of game points won over the course of the three-day round robin event.

In blustery, but largely sunny and dry conditions there was some excellent golf on show at the pristine Effingham course, which has views over the capital, and has been used for Open Regional Qualifying in the past.

For Sussex captain Rick Thomas, the thought of final day tension induced strong feelings of déjà vu.

“We’ve been here before!” said Thomas wryly, referring to the South East Champions’ runner-up finishes over the past two years when Yorkshire and then Lancashire pipped them at the post.

“The north have had us both times so we’ll see what happens this time,” Thomas added.

“Last year was agony for everyone when Lancashire holed a huge putt to swing the match their way.

“However, to a man, all members of the team were up for coming back again strongly this year.

“For me this is a fantastic week and a great event to be a part of. It’s very well run by England Golf.

“It’s an intense three days of competition and a challenging format, but we all love it and keep coming back.

“Now we have to keep going. The great strength of this team is the togetherness – they have been through so much as a group, but they encourage and support each other and that’s what brings us to this point again.”

Yorkshire captain John Grimbleby should have skippered his team to glory in 2017.

However, he missed the event to help his wife recuperate from knee surgery and is eager to sample that winning feeling two years on.

Grimbleby said: “I let a colleague take over on that occasion and I’m just glad to get a chance to be here and in with a hope of winning again.

“We have a really strong squad with two England internationals in Rich Jones and Richard Norton, but we have great strength in depth.

“A special mention must go to Stephen Mason who, has won all three games he’s played in so far.

“He turned 65 in August and then got down to scratch for the first time a few weeks later.

“Now he’s playing superbly here and as a team we’re all really looking forward to a great game against Sussex.”

Both Sussex and Yorkshire went into day two full of confidence and nothing that happened in the morning foursomes did anything to chip away at that growing self-belief.

Sussex stamped their superiority on their match with Dorset by claiming a two-point lead from the three foursomes games with the South West Champions picking up just a half.

Colin Jones and Doug Park claimed a handsome 5&4 win against Dorset’s John Smith and Favid Beaton. However, the other two games were much tighter.

Sussex’s Martin Galway and Malcolm Cawte won their clash with Gary Earl and John Pounder on the 18th hole.

Steve Graham and Martin King halved their match with Dorset’s Tony Coles and Ashley Bennett.

A handsome lead at lunch took some of the pressure off and the afternoon singles resulted in a comprehensive win for last season’s runners-up.

Graham raced to a 6&5 win over Coles in the bottom match as Galway and Park’s games went to the last before producing another 11/2 points that got Sussex over the winning line.

Cawte and Mark Logan gave Sussex the two wins over Pounder and Smith respectively that meant the 7-2 scoreline gained further significance as it left them with an extra game point after two matches.

Dorset’s solitary win in the singles came thanks to a good show from Ashley Beckett in a 5&4 win over Paul Plant in the penultimate game.

Yorkshire’s bid was firmly on track after a 3-0 morning whitewash of Lincolnshire.

Jones and Norton gave little away in a 5&3 win against Colin Trentrail and Jeremy Woodcock.

Mason and Alan Wright were equally ruthless in their 4&3 triumph against Paul Wharton and Richard Latham.

It was a lot closer in the match involving Andy King and Ian Clarke and Tim Seaton and Simon Ostrom – the Yorkshire pair however, edged it by one hole.

Perhaps a little dispirited as they faced up to a second successive defeat, Lincolnshire hoped for a fast start in the afternoon but soon found themselves under the cosh.

Norton, Mason and Wright all put points on the board for Yorkshire before the middle order of Lincolnshire rallied with Les Toyne and Tim Seaton winning their games.

In the final match on course Johnny Lawrence and Simon Ostrom went down the last. Ostrom holed an eight-foot putt to eke out a point for the Midlands Champions.

Now it all comes down to the clash of the top two with Dorset and Lincolnshire playing for third and fourth place.

•For live scoring from the English Men’s Seniors County Finals click here.

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Yorkshire’s Stephen Mason celebrates holing a putt in his victory over Dorset’s Tony Coles as the Northern Champions won by 51/2-31/2. Picture by LEADERBOARD PHOTOGRAPHY

YORKSHIRE and Sussex got their campaigns off to a flyer with victory on the first day of the English Senior Men’s County Finals, at Surrey’s Effingham GC.

Last year’s runners-up Sussex beat Lincolnshire 5-4, while Yorkshire – the 2017 champions – fought off a gutsy Dorset side to put their two points on the board thanks to a 51/2-31/2 scoreline.

Dorset – looking to finish higher than their third place in 2018 – had shown they meant business by halving the morning foursomes thanks in part to a victory for Tony Coles and Ashley Bennett over England international Rich Jones and his colleague Johnny Lawrence.

John Smith and David Barton also earned a half point when another England international – Richard Norton – and his partner Alan Wright were held to a tie.

Andy King and Ian Clarke’s 8&6 win over Gary Earl and John Pounder restored parity at lunchtime before the afternoon singles took to the course with the match poised at 11/2-11/2.

Jones, Stephen Mason (pictured below) and King did their jobs with early wins for Yorkshire. Gary Earl claimed the notable scalp of Norton to pull one back for the South West Champions.

Ian Clarke’s victory over David Barton helped take Yorkshire over the line before the final match of the day ended with a Dorset win for John Smith over the Northern Champions’ Mark Lawson.

Sussex’s Martin King helped Sussex get off to a flying start as the South East Champions whitewashed Lincolnshire in the morning foursomes at the English Senior Men’s County Finals at Effingham Golf Club, in Surrey. Picture by LEADERBOARD PHOTOGRAPHY

Sussex showed their early desire to claim theit first English Seniors County Championship when they whitewashed the Midland Champions in the three morning foursomes against a Lincolnshire side slow out the traps.

Victories for Steve Graham and Martin King (pictured), Martin Galway and Martin Cawte and Doug Park and Colin Jones set Sussex on their way.

Lincolnshire hit back in the afternoon singles with Tim Seaton seeing off Graham winning the 17th to make it 3&1 after England Seniors international Paul Wharton had gone 6&5 up against Mark Logan in the third match to make it 3-2 to Sussex

While that redressed the balance after their slow start Galway hit back for the South East Champions with a 3&2 win over Lincolnshire’s Les Tyone.

Park added with the winning point for Sussex when he saw off the threat of Woodhall Spa’s Richard Latham, a former captain of the Hertfordshire men’s team some 20 years ago, by the same scoreline.

Colin Trestrail earned the final individual plaudits of the day for Lincolnshire with a win on the 18th, but it was Sussex left celebrating their first win of the week.

It was the ideal start for a county still smarting at losing out to Lancashire in the final moments of drama a year ago.

Yorkshire, though, will be formidable opponents in the final two days of action.

• Sussex will take on Dorset while Yorkshire face up to Lincolnshire on Wednesday. For live scoring click here.

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