ANDY SHAW finished ahead of the pack in the Halifax, Huddersfield Union trial at Fixby which team boss Chris Mear ran as a medal round to help prepare his players for the Yorkshire Inter-Union Team championship, a stroke-play event that will be staged at Fixby on September 14.

“I wanted to get away from the usual match-play format of probables v possibles to see how our squad handle Fixby at stroke-play and it was a useful exercise ahead of the championship,” said Mear.

Shaw and Ian Powell both shot level par, the Bradley Hall man claiming top spot on a countback with Fixby pair Richard Broadley and Jerred Ellison finishing three strokes back.

Talented Longley Park junior Matthew Colcombe, the Union stroke-play champion as winner of the PS Cockroft Trophy last season, could have tied with the top two had he made par at the first hole. He had the misfortune to run up a six over par 10 and he went on to post 77.

71 - A Shaw (Bradley Hall), I Powell (Hebden Bridge). 74- R Broadley (Huddersfield), J Ellison (Huddersfield). 75- S Sweeney (Halifax). 76 - G McLean (Meltham), D Stocchero (Huddersfield). 77 - M Colcombe (Longley Park). 78 - B Crowther (Dewsbury).

79 - A Schnacke (Huddersfield). 80 - R Greenwood (West End). 81 - F Scholefield (Huddersfield), S Bridges (West End), M Birkett (Halifax), S Martin (West End), J Ramsden (Huddersfield). 82 - J Fairhurst (Bradley Hall).

A Hanging Heaton quartet of juniors came good and gained the Dewsbury club promotion in the Yorkshire Division Seven Team championship at Bondhay where fog delayed the start and reduced play to 27 holes.

While Hanging Heaton’s D Overend 81 42, E Wood 82 37, M Glynn 83 44 and T Goodair 78 44, won a place in the Division Six event at Dore & Totley on May 7, Bradley Hall flopped and fell six shots short of a promotion place.

Promoted: 471 - Crookhill Park. 485 - Kirkbymoorside. 488 - Low Laithes; Hanging Heaton. 492 - Woodhall Hills. 494 - Filey. Non qualifiers included: 500 - Halifax Bradley Hall.