Yorkshire win women's County Finals showdown

22nd September 2013


Winning Yorkshire team (team image © Leaderboard Photography)

Yorkshire are England's champion women's county. After an absence of two years they made a triumphant return to County Finals, beating Lincolnshire 5-4 in today's title showdown.

In the day's other matches Hertfordshire beat Gloucestershire 6½-2½ to finish third overall. Kent claimed their first win of the week, defeating Warwickshire 5½-3½ and finishing in fifth place.

Yorkshire's win is their 12th in the championship and their first since 2008 (team image © Leaderboard Photography). I am over the moon with my fantastic team, said Yorkshire captain Carole Waights, after a tense afternoon of close singles.

Lincolnshire played beautifully this afternoon. They were going straight for the pins and they gave me a fright! she added.

Yorkshire had raced ahead this morning, winning all three foursomes. But Lincolnshire charged out in the afternoon singles. Helen Hewlett and Emilee Taylor both played excellent golf to beat Emma Brown and Becca Wood respectively in the top two singles.

Behind them, their battling colleagues were edging ahead - but in the end Yorkshire grit won through and they secured the two points they needed.

Charlotte Austwick won the 16th to get back to all square and then, typically for the team this week, finished strongly by winning the 18th.

Behind her, Holly Morgan came to the 17th tee one up and, with a solid par, won the hole and clinched the title for Yorkshire. It was the signal for cheers and whoops of delight which echoed around the course.

In the second match Hertfordshire were on winning form all day, taking 2½ points in the foursomes and four in the singles. Their winners included 13-year-old Hannah Screen who played extremely well on her debut appearance and won 4/2 in the singles.

Their performance put them in third place and their captain, Cathy Shand, said: We are so chuffed. The team have played their socks off for us this week and they are an absolute credit to Hertfordshire.

In the final match Kent overcame Warwickshire to win their first point of the week. In the foursomes the two teams shared the points with one half and one big win apiece Kent's top pair were an estimated eight-under when they won 6/5 and Warwickshire's second pair also won on the 13th. Kent pushed ahead in the singles, winning three matches and halving two.

Final placings:
1 Yorkshire, representing the North, 5pts
2 Lincolnshire, representing Midlands North, 3½pts
3 Hertfordshire representing the East, 3pts
4 Gloucestershire, representing the South West, 2½pts
5 Kent, representing the South, 1pt
6 Warwickshire, representing Midlands South, 0pt

Lincolnshire 4 Yorkshire 5
Foursomes
India Clyburn & Emily Slater lost to Emma Brown & Becca Wood 3/2
Sophie Beardsall & Emilee Taylor lost to Charlotte Austwick & Holly Morgan 2 down
Jess Wilcox & Emma Tipping lost to Megan Lockett & Ellie Goodall 4/3
Singles
Helen Hewlett beat Brown 3/1
Taylor beat Wood 3/2
Wilcox lost to Austwick 1 down
Slater lost to Morgan 2/1
Clyburn beat Kirsty Beckwith 3/2
Tipping beat Lockett 2/1

Hertfordshire 6½ Gloucestershire 2½
Foursomes
Lucy Goddard & Nicola Callander beat Shelby Smart & Bethan Popel 2 up
Steph McEvoy & Esther Strous halved with Charlotte Heeps & Victoria Wakeley-Jones
Charlie Field & Jackie Foster beat Alexandra Saunders & Alison Kelly 5/3

Singles
Goddard beat Jemima Gregson 4/2
McEvoy beat Padley 6/5
Ella Ofstedahl beat Saunders 5/3
Hannah Screen beat Grace McLaughlin 4/2
Foster lost to Sue Elliott 8/6
Callander lost to Popel 5/3

Warwickshire 3½ Kent 5½
Foursomes
Melissa Nicol & Rachel Rusted lost to Emily Royer & Cloe Frankish 6/5
Hannah Coles & Yen Pham beat Sandy Catford & Ainee O'Connor 7/5
Lisa Barton & Charlotte Priddle halved with Tita McCart & Jerri Sewell
Singles
Abbey Gittings halved with Emily Royer
Charlotte Dalton lost to Cloe Frankish 4/2
Claire Howells lost to Jerri Sewell 7/5
Katrina Gani halved with Mollie Lawrence
Hannah Coles lost to Marnie Barber 1 down
Melissa Nicol beat McCart 5/4

For images and more information visit www.englandgolf.org/womenscountyfinals

Notes for Readers:-
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