Cleckheaton teenager Nigel Colbeck showed Yorkshire captain Andy King his potential by winning his first major senior title at a rain-soaked Moortown.

The 17-year-old won the Leeds Union Strokeplay Championship by one shot on two-over-par from Head-ingley’s Daniel Wilkes, with Bradford’s Matthew Atter a further shot back.

And after rounds of 74 and 70, he revealed he had only played the event at the suggestion of the county captain.

Colbeck, who is also a member at Moor Allerton, said: “I was playing a scratch team game at Garforth and Andy King told me I should play in the Leeds Strokeplay. Hopefully, winning it puts my name in the frame.”

For a player who only made his Yorkshire boys debut earlier this season – winning both his matches – talk of a senior call-up might be premature, but King has already shown he is not frightened to trust youth.

He fielded nine players under 21 in Yorkshire’s victory over Northern Counties League champions Cumbria last week, including Keigh-ley’s Liam O’Neill.

Colbeck has won the Bradford Union Junior Golfer of the Year for the last two seasons and was the boys’ individual title holder in 2008.

But his triumph at Moor-town was his best yet and he put it down to upping his work on the range.

He said: “My coach Warren (Lockett) told me I wasn’t practising enough, so I’ve taken that on board and proved him right.”

Colbeck – who was third in the same event two years ago, aged just 15, when asked to fill in at short notice – was five shots back at the halfway mark but picked up birdies at the first and seventh holes in the afternoon.

A bogey at the 11th halted his progress but birdies at the 14th and 16th – the latter thanks to a 50-foot putt – gave him a two-shot lead, enabling him to play the last cautiously with a five.

The scratch handicapper was playing with Bradford Union team-mate Atter, who is also a member at Sand-moor, and it looked as if the Hawksworth player was on course for victory. He was two under par with seven to play but slipped back after double-bogeying the 12th.

Having posted top-seven positions in the Welsh Youth Open and Yorkshire Boys’ Amateur events, in-form Colbeck is now hoping to regain his Bradford junior title at West Bradford on June 20 in his last year before joining the adult ranks.

But his immediate priority is helping Bradford to success against Sheffield at Shipley on Sunday.

He said: “It would be good to get revenge against them as they beat us last season.”