BRADFORD are primed to make an impact in the Yorkshire Team Championship at Bingley St Ives on Sunday.

They will certainly be buoyed by a heartening 24-12 victory over Halifax-Huddersfield at Northcliffe in their final Yorkshire Inter-District Union match of the season last weekend.

Bradford captain Tim Wade laughed: "It's difficult enough getting two of them to play well – let alone six. But the lads are definitely up for it.

"The main dangers, as ever, will be Sheffield and York but having it on one of our courses should be worth a shot or two a round to us.

"We had hoped to have four Bingley St Ives players in our line-up but Jack Laybourne and Terry Brushwood are unavailable.

"Nevertheless, it is a course that the lads are used to playing as they enter the St Ives Scratch Trophy and play league matches there."

Halifax-Huddersfield had to beat Bradford last Sunday to stand a chance of winning the league but lost the first three foursomes.

Wade reflected: "Terry Brushwood and Andy Town, who had only arrived back from holiday at 3.30am on the day, overwhelmed their opponents 7&5.

"Nigel Colbeck and Dane Bairstow won 4&3 and Chris Howe & Rob Malloy triumphed 3&1, with the ever-dependable Jack Hall and Martin Gaffney winning by one hole with a par at the last to give us an 8-4 lead at lunch.

"In the afternoon, Andy – showing no signs of fatigue – cruised home 3&2, Chris won 5&4 and Rob, who was three down after five, won 3&2.

"Andy Busfield, who was five up after 11, won 2&1 and Ben Rhodes triumphed 6&5 to put us in a strong position before Paul won 3&2 and Jack won 4&2."

With Sheffield and York halving, Halifax-Huddersfield would have won the league had they succeeded at Northcliffe.

Instead they were third and Bradford fourth, which Wade called "not bad at all, considering the number of players we gave debuts to. It all looks promising for next year".

Bradford 24, Halifax-Huddersfield 12 (at Northcliffe) – Foursomes (Bradford names first): T Brushwood & A Town bt B Tupman & A Shaw 7&5; N Colbeck & D Bairstow bt D Hartley & A Schnacke 4&3; C Howe & R Malloy bt G McLean & T Calvert 3&4; P Arthurs & A Busfield lost to J Smith & J Hamilton 7&5; B Rhodes & O Tasker lost to M Birkett & C Lander 1 hole; J Hall & M Gaffney bt T Hunt & E Lister 1 hole.

Singles: Brushwood (Bingley St Ives) halved with Shaw (Bradley Hall), Town (Bingley St Ives) bt Schacke (Huddersfield) 3&2, Colbeck (Cleckheaton) lost to Hartley (Dewsbury) 5&4, Bairstow (Bingley St Ives) halved with Tupman (Huddersfield), Howe (Northcliffe) bt McLean (Meltham) 5&4, Malloy (Northcliffe) bt Birkett (Halifax) 3&2, Busfield (South Bradford) bt J Smith (Halifax) 2&1, Rhodes (Woodhall Hills) bt Hamilton (Huddersfield) 6&5, Tasker (Cleckheaton) lost to T Calvert 2&1, Arthurs (Calverley) bt Hunt (Meltham) 3&2, Hall (South Bradford) bt Lister (Bradley Hall) 4&2, M Gaffney (Cleckheaton) lost to C Lander (Bradley Hall) 2&1. Bradford 16, Halifax-Huddersfield 8.

CLUB RESULT – East Bierley Ladies, Stableford final: 1 Lynne Durham (31) 36pts, 2 Ruth Senior (27) 30 (on countback), 3 Doreen Naylor (29) 30.