Rise of Mountain and Hey bodes well for Bradford side’s future (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Rise of Mountain and Hey bodes well for Bradford side’s future

9:10am Thursday 1st September 2011 in News By Mike Crowther

Bradford may be set to relinquish their Yorkshire Inter-District League crown this weekend – but skipper Tim Wade insists there is plenty riding on their last match.

Barring a highly unlikely sequence of results, Sheffield are set to be crowned the new champions on Sunday at home to Halifax-Huddersfield.

Bradford need a point when they take on Harrogate at Knaresborough to gain runners-up spot and Wade is desperate to make sure they get it.

Not only would that underline his team’s status as one of Yorkshire’s most consistent sides, it would also signify his side’s strength in depth, particurlarly in the junior ranks.

He said: “It’s very important we finish second. We won it last year and were runners-up the year before.

“If we are in the top two again, it would be a marvellous achievement, considering who we’ve missed.”

Established players such as Andy Town, James Firth, Nigel Colbeck and Peter Fenton have not played as much as Wade and vice-captain Cec Bloice had expected.

But that has given them the opportunity to blood more youngsters and they are coming up trumps.

A prime example is Bradford’s Ben Mountain, a key member of the juniors’ Yorkshire Team Championship win at Keighley last week (see above).

Wade said: “Ben was off 2.2 in August and now he’s nearly off plus one. He won the Sandmoor Masters with a 75, 68 and shot a 69 last week for Bradford at Keighley.”

Keighley junior Calum Hey made an unbeaten debut in the recent 22-14 triumph over East Riding – winning his foursomes with Jamie Mountain and halving his singles against Bridling-ton’s Richard Webster.

Wade said: “Against Richard, Calum was three down after 12 but level after 15. Cec and I were really impressed with the guts and determination he showed to come back.”

Now the skipper is ready to give two more youngsters their chance, with South Bradford’s Chris Benn and Bingley St Ives’ Jack Laybourne set for their debuts on Sunday.

* Bradford team (v Harrogate on Sunday): Matthew Atter (Bradford), Dane Bairstow (Bingley St.Ives), Chris Benn (South Bradford), Darryl Berry (Bingley St. Ives), Terry Brushwood (Bingley St Ives), Andy Fitzpatrick (Keighley), Dan Hawksworth (Hollins Hall), Calum Hey (Keighley), Jack Laybourne (Bingley St Ives), Ben Mountain (Bradford), Jamie Mountain (Hollins Hall), Oliver Young (Hollins Hall)

* Bradford six-man team (at Forest Park on Sunday, September 11): Atter, Bairstow, Hillas, Brushwood, Chris Howe (Hollins Hall), Berry. Reserve: Ben Mountain.

* Karl Curran Golfer of the Year standings (three events to complete): D Bairstow (Bingley St Ives) 52pt, T Brushwood (Bingley St Ives) 42.5, J Firth (Baildon) 40, J Mountain (Hollins Hall) 28, I Martin (Baildon) 27, A Town (Bingley St Ives) 25.5, A Fitzpatrick (Keighley) 24, M Evans (Hollins Hall) 24, D Hawksworth (Hollins Hall) 24, M Roche (Baildon) 23, J Lampkin (Shipley) 20, C Howe (Hollins Hall) 20, M Atter (Bradford) 20, D Teece (Baildon) 19, C Benton (Woodhall Hills) 19, D Rowley (Shipley) 19, D Cockell (Ghyll) 17, R Hillas (Northcliffe) 17, B Mountain (Bradford) 16, M Ryder (Skipton) 15.