Clive Crawshaw, Mark England and Matthew Colcombe followed their fathers into the Halifax, Huddersfield Union side for the annual match with the St Annes Old Links club which brought another resounding win for the Union men on the Fylde Coast, by 15-9.
When a player gets the call from Roger Cliffe to join the annual jaunt, a friendly encounter but never taken any other way but seriously, he can be said to have arrived.
More years ago that they might care to remember, John Crawshaw. Keith England and Mick Colcombe all set down golfing roots at Dewsbury where they were top men and where Crawshaw’s dad, the late and much loved Albert, was club pro. All became Union matchplay champions.
Clive has not yet emulated his dad, in his pomp among the best in Yorkshire, making over a century of county match appearances, while Mark matched his father on being crowned matchplay champion in 1990 and last season went one better than Keith by adding the PS Cockroft strokeplay title.
Matthew is the baby of the bunch. He’s one of the youngest – if not the youngest – to represent the Union team, receiving the call last season to face Harrogate following his splendid showing in the PS Cockroft in which he tied fourth with Richard Broadley and won the Jubilee Trophy as leading junior.
The Lancastrians held a 7-5 lead after the morning foursomes only to crumble in the fourballs and another Union victory looks assured when the return match is staged at Ogden on October 5.
Details (SAOL names first): Foursomes: P Greenall & P Beverley bt G McLean (Meltham) & J Fairhurst (Bradley Hall) 1 hole; P Nelson & D Laver bt R Holt (Woodsome Hall) & C Ingham (West End) 2&1; C Brooke & M Walton halved with M Colcombe (Longley Park) & F Greaves (West End); P O'Connor & R Connelly lost to N Wilson (Crosland Heath) & I Powell (Hebden Bridge) 3&2, S Laver & D Burns lost to A Whitworth (Bradley Hall) & Paul Taylor (Bradley Hall) 3&2; T Parsons & F Gerraghty bt C Crawshaw (Halifax) & M England (Huddersfield) 2&1.
Fourballs: Greenall & Beverley lost to McLean & Fairhurst 3&2; Nelson & D Laver bt Holt & Ingham 1 hole; Brooke & Walton lost to Colcombe & Greaves 4&2; O'Connor & Connelly lost to Wilson & Powell 5&4; S Laver & Burns lost to Whitworth & Taylor 5&4; Parsons & Gerraghty lost to Crawshaw & England 6&5.
