Bradford overcame the loss of Chris Benn due to injury to edge out York 19-17 at Woodhall Hills in their second YORKSHIRE INTER-DISTRICT LEAGUE match of the season.

The Bradford team had lost heavily to Halifax-Huddersfield in their opener but bounced back well, taking the foursomes 7-5 before squaring the singles 12-12.

This was against a strong York side which included five county players and two American college students.

The pick of the foursomes winners were Rob Hillas and Oliver Young, who beat George Forder and Lee Grant 5&4, while Mark Evans and Calum Hey overcame Rob Moore and Damien Coulson 4&2.

Benn and Tom Hall were two up after 16 holes against Richard Brown and Ross Earnshaw when Benn, playing a wedge to the green, hit a tree root with the club and damaged his wrist.

The Bradford duo lost that hole and Benn could not continue, although their opponents were very sporting and called the match a half.

Benn was not able to play in the afternoon singles – which included an hour’s suspension after a storm flooded the greens – but Bradford overcame his absence to gain enough points to win the match. Evans carded the best result for the hosts, beating Grant 4&2.

Bradford 19, York 17 (at Woodhall Hills) – Foursomes (7-5): Terry Brushwood & Will Whiteoak lost to Martin Brown & Chris Halley 1hole, Rob Hillas & Oliver Young bt George Forder & Lee Grant 5&4, Matthew Atter & Andy Fitzpatrick lost to Julian Taylor & Craig Smith 4&3, Chris Benn & Tom Hall h/w Richard Brown & Ross Earnshaw, Mark Evans & Calum Hey bt Rob Moore & Damien Coulson 4&2, Ben Cheetham & Jamie Mount bt Adrian Lount & Lee Bond 1hole.

Singles (12-12): Brushwood (Bingley St Ives) bt Forder 3&2, Hillas h/w Brown, Atter (Bradford) lost to Halley 5&4, Young (Bingley St Ives) lost to Taylor 2&1, Whiteoak (Bingley St Ives) bt Earnshaw 2&1, Fitzpatrick (Keighley) lost to Smith 1hole, Hey (Keighley) bt Moore 1hole, Benn (South Bradford) lost to Coulson 10&8 (match conceded due to injury), Evans (Bingley St Ives) bt Grant 4&2, Cheetham (South Bradford) h/w Lount, Hall (South Bradford) bt Brown 3&1, Mountain (Hollins Hall) lost to Bond 4&3.

* Ilkley members will have an added interest in this week’s US OPEN as one of their former professionals helped design the course.

Sam Whiting, who was pro at Ilkley from 1911-1921, left the club to take up a post at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.

The Olympic Club is America’s oldest athletic club, having been established in 1860. But it was in 1922, after the acquisition of enough land to replace the original golf course with two 18-hole tracks, that Whiting made his mark.

Working with renowned golf course architect Willie Watson, he was the course superintendent who designed the first lake and ocean courses in 1924. Storm damage led to Whiting redesigning both again in 1927.

The lake course, on which this year’s championship will be played, remains true to the 1927 design. There have been minimal renovations since, apart from a little toughening up by Robert Trent Jones senior prior to the 1955 US Open.

Part of Whiting’s legacy is that he planted 40,000 trees, helping to create the narrow fairways – another aspect that is likely to strike a chord with Ilkley members.

* Woodhall Hills won the BRADFORD & DISTRICT JUNIOR TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP at Northcliffe as their best three players combined for a 209 nett total. Keighley were five shots behind in second.

Leading results (best three count): 1 Woodhall Hills 209 (S Fearnley (9.5) 70, E Fletcher (5.4) 70, A Smith (8.7) 69, J Varley n/r), 2 Keighley 214 (D Burke (5.2) 71, S Hallas (9.6) 79, C Hey (2.2) 72, R Thornton (19.9) 71), 3 Bradford 214 (B Barker (8.0) 71, M Skelton (7.7) 76, J Tate ((9.1) 67, W Turner (6.0) 80), 4 C Hamilton (5.1) 73, O Hamilton (4.9) 70, T Henry (18.1) 72, A Taylor (15.3) 82), 5 Skipton 216 (L Eaton (7.3) 68, M Eaton (9l.1) 66, M O’Rourke (5.1) 82), 6 Bracken Ghyll 223 (J Bentley (14.0) 88, J Death (20.0) 68, D Pelkowski (26.0) 80, J Stones (18.0) 75), 7 Calverley 227 (J Bullough (5.1) 69, B Rhodes (16.3) 84, S Smith (13.2) 82, S Smith (13.6) 76).