HELEN SEARLE’S brave and gallant bid for the Yorkshire Ladies championship came to an end after she gave English champion Naomi Edwards a few scares by taking the Curtis Cup player to the penultimate green in a fascinating final at Alwoodley yesterday.

She went down 3&1, but it was a terrific achievement by the 15-year-old Fixby starlet who will be remembered as much for pulling off the shot and the shock of the season in overcoming another Curtis Cup international, Emma Brown, in the semi-finals earlier in the day.

That match was all square playing the 388-yard par five 18th where Helen’s drive left her a 7-iron to the green. A magnificent shot was a whisker away from an albatross, coming to rest two feet behind the pin.

“It was the most nerve wracking two footer I’ve ever had. It was a relief to see it go in but I had looked at it as just another putt, and I’d putted pretty well all morning,” she said.

Few would have given her much chance against Brown, nee Duggleby, 34, a great champion and Yorkshire’s most experienced player who has won seven national titles, but Helen shows a mature attitude for one so young to match her talent.

As in previous matches, she battled back from an early deficit, being three down around the halfway mark. “I call it bouncebackability,” said Helen, who had levelled the match after 16 holes. They halved the 17th in par then she produced that wonderful winner.

Helen, coached by Fixby assistant Alex Keighley, said: “I was obviously the underdog but I had as much right to be there as Emma. I approached the match against her as I would have against anyone else.”

Brown, seeking a third Yorkshire title, accepted her defeat sportingly.

She said: “I tried my best. Helen played very well and could not be shaken off.”

It primed the Fixby youngster for another testing encounter against Edwards, 24, who in the morning had progressed by 3&2 against Ganton clubmate Sara Garbutt, another England international who won the championship at Fixby last season.

Helen began in fighting fashion to lead with a birdie at the second only for Edwards to win the next two then move to two up at the fifth.

It remained that way until Helen took the short ninth in par but Edwards’s regulation figure at the 10th was good enough for her to go two up again, a lead she extended at the 12th. The top seed and championship favourite, desperate to win the title for the first time, three-putted to lose the short 14th then Helen was decidedly unfortunate at the next when her putt from 15 feet lipped out. It could have proved vital to the outcome, for the next hole was shared in par for Edwards to stay two up and she then ended Helen’s challenge with a good birdie at 17.

Fixby made a clean sweep of the foursomes, which was run in conjunction with the championship, Pat Wrightson and Sue Johnson posting a 74 that was matched by Tracey Jeffries and Jackie Elam.

Johnson and Wrightson, who recently retained the Yorkshire Veterans title and was county champion in 1976, had a handicap allowance of six and took the gross prize with 80 while Jeffries and Elam, whose allowance was 20, earned the best net prize.

Leading scores: 74 - Huddersfield: S Johnson & P Wrightson (6); T Jeffries & J Elam (20). 75.5 - Moortown: D Powers & B Burrows (12.5).

Others included: 78.5 - Bradley Hall: E Wheelwright & J Taylor (11.5). 79.5 - Meltham: C Ward & C Thompson (23.5). 80 - Huddersfield: F Wood & S Paul (5). 83 - Huddersfield: J Macgill & J Clampett (14). 84.5- Huddersfield: M Durrans & S Guest (14.5). 86 - Huddersfield: C Greenwood & C Hawkyard (13). 89.5 - Huddersfield: B Parker & M Green (19.5).