At Grange Park Golf Club in St Helens, Cumbria met Lancashire in a match which would
decide whether Cumbria would win the Daily Telegraph Northern Counties League.
In the morning Foursomes, the top match featuring Tommy Fleetwood and James Wilson of
Lancashire against Will Bowe and Simon Young of Cumbria.. The Cumbrians played the
better golf from tee to green but then proceeded to give it away on the greens. Coming to the
17th 2 down, the Cumbrian duo won it with a birdie putt. On the 18th, faced with another
birdie putt, Young saw his putt horseshoe out and the match was lost. In the second match,
veteran John Longcake with his partner James Atkinson held on to beat Mark Young and Ian
Kenwright by 1 hole.
The third match between Cumbrians Nick Bell and David Simpson and Jack Senior and Jack
Brooks fell to the Cumbrians at the 16th, and the morning was starting to look more promising
for Cumbrian Captain, Cliff Heath on his farewell appearance as Captain. The fourth pairing
of Stephen Jopson and Andrew Millray against Paul Howard & Sean Towndrow followed the
same pattern as they came home victors by 2 holes. Match number 5 finished early as Martin
Hand and Geoff Nixon were beaten 5 &4 by John Carroll and Michael Hearn, with the
Cumbrians finding it hard to control the ball in the strong wind. The last pairing of Grant
Little and Craig Morrow, despite appearing to be lost out in the country, came in 40 minutes
later recording a win by 2 & 1 over Ken Hudson and Gary Lacy.
Captain Cliff was delighted with the outcome of a 4-2 margin after the foursomes. “ We had
some anxious moments out there this morning” he said. “At the 9th hole, we seemed to be
struggling , but the lads knuckled down and yet again won the Foursomes handsomely”.
Workington’s Will Bowe led off the afternoon Singles against Mark Young. Both of these
golfers are leading the Order of Merit, or Green Jacket, list in their respective counties. It was
a tight match which Young should have tied up on the 17th when he missed a short putt of
about three feet. On the 18th, both hit long drives. Will hit his approach shot from 96 yards
and it tracked in on the flag, bounced and then gently rolled into the hole for Eagle. “ Sorry
big man” said Will to Mark, but he had given Cumbria their first half point of the afternoon.
Will Bowe has played as Cumbria’s top man in the order all season and remarkably scored 4
½ points out of 5. “Will has had a remarkable season”, said Captain Cliff. “He has won just
about everything in sight in Cumbria this year”.
John Longcake, from Silloth, was drawn to play England’s current hot International, fresh for
playing for England at Hillside, where in 3 matches he had them all won by the 14th hole.
Longcake admitted afterwards that his own golf had been disappointingly poor as he went
down 5&4 to the man who beat him in a play-off for the County Champion of Champions in
2008. Kendal’s James Atkinson survived a nervy finish to his round as he failed to sink a
short putt on 17 and then bounced off the boundary fence on 18. He went on to secure victory
by halving the hole against Jack Senior. Seascale’s Simon Young in the 4th Singles, kept up
steady pressure to beat John Carroll 2&1. Cumbria needed 2 ½ points more to secure the title
and, as always, it seemed to take an age to get them! Carlisle’s Nick Bell fell behind in his
match with James Wilson and could not get it back , losing 3 &2.
Penrith’s David Simpson, playing in only his 3rd match for the County, did his Captain proud
by playing splendid golf against Paul Howard coming home with the best score of the day , 6
& 5. Stephen Jopson of Carlisle, nursing a sore back throughout the day, eventually
succumbed on the 18th to Ian Kenwright. But Windermere’s Andrew Millray managed to keep
his game together to record a one hole victory over Jack Brooks. Half a point was needed now
to win the title. Geoff Nixon from Brampton had a torrid time with the gusty wind affecting
his game. He went down to Michael Herne 5 & 4.
“ This was a nervous time for us “ says Cliff, “ However we looked around the course and
realised the Cumbria were ahead in all our remaining matches. Could we keep it up?”
Craig Morrow was approaching the 15th 2 up and put a splendid second shot onto the green on
the par 5 . He secured a birdie to go dormie 3. His drive to the par 3 16th hung onto the edge
of the green and he secured a par and won his match 3 & 2. Cumbria could not now be beaten
and the gathering of players and supporters around the 16th green jumped for joy!
Carlisle’s Martin Hand beat Sean Towndrow by 1 hole , followed in by Grant Little of
Brampton with the biggest crowd of the day, winning by 1 hole against Gary Lacy.
Champagne corks popped as Captain Cliff Heath was carried aloft to celebrate Cumbria
winning the Double of the League and the Northern Counties Strokeplay Championship.
Captain Cliff said “ This is a great ending to my 4 years as Captain of Cumbria. We just have
to win the County Finals at Chipping Sodbury to give me a full house to retire on!. I am proud
of the lads who have won this title playing away matches against Yorkshire , Lancashire and
Northumberland, not an easy thing to do. Every last one of the lads plays with his heart on his
sleeve, wearing their County shirts with pride. They surely deserve the highest praise for this
achievement”.
Cumbria President Tom Stout was first to congratulate Cliff, reminding him that at the start
of the season he had promised to bring home the bacon and he had fulfilled his promise.
“ Cumbria can be proud of this team who are only the seventh squad in the history of the
Northern Counties to win it with a 100% record . To beat a strong Lancashire team by 11 ½ to
6 ½ was a great achievement. Well done lads!” he added. Lancashire Captain Bill Bromilow
added his congratulations, adding that he admired this Cumbrian team and believed they
could crown their season with a win at the County Finals in September.
Tom Stout