PUTTING juniors at the heart of their plans is the York Union of Golf Clubs’ big priority for the 2015 golf season.

The organisation, which comprises 13 participating clubs in York, North Yorkshire and Ryedale, enjoyed huge success last year - winning the Yorkshire Inter-District Union scratch league with a perfect seven wins from seven games and finishing second to Sheffield in the six-man team event.

Retaining their league title, and going one better in the team event, are big targets for incoming president Martin Greaves - who plays out of Pike Hills GC - but the Union is also keen for the game’s younger stars to enjoy a good year.

With the help of The Oaks’ Graham Walker, a structured plan has been put together and a recent training session at Pike Hills saw 40 participants, aged from seven to 17, endure freezing conditions to try to hone their skills.

Outlining his plans for the season, Greaves said: “We want to do as well as we can in the league and the six-man team event. The latter is one we would be really keen to do well in again this year.

Having come a close second in 2014 to Sheffield, it would be nice to win. In the general competitions, we want to try to increase the awareness within the clubs.

“From a junior point of view, it would be nice to see them have a better season. We only won one of the seven games last year, at Pike Hills against Bradford, but to see their faces as they came off that day was absolutely brilliant. We were getting a good team spirit going towards the end of the season, which is what we have needed.”

He added: “We’ve only really got into junior team games over the past three or four years. Before that, we didn’t have a junior team. We have had success with the senior team. We are building the junior team up no end.”

Gary Pearce, general manager at Fulford and a key constituent of the Union, added it was important the organisation built on its achievements over the past year rather than bask in the glow of success.

He explained: “We are looking at how we can build on the successes of last year and put plans in place to make it even better. It was a tremendous achievement for such a small union. We are only 13 clubs compared with 41 in Sheffield. They have a much bigger pool to choose from.

“We have got plans to develop even younger players so there is a constant flow of them coming through. There is a bit of a gap in junior level - at a younger level.”

Outgoing president David Smith, while stressing the tournaments that were available of golfers of all abilities across the Union season, also highlighted the key role the body plays in helping talented players make the step up to county level.

He said: “We had a really good year on all fronts - team performance, junior development, sponsorship is looking quite good - and we are looking forward to an even better year this time. It is all about development and the link to the next echelon.

“Without the York Union, there would be club level and then a huge gap to Yorkshire level. What we do is bridge that gap and show them the way forward.”

Malton Cross purpose in dramatic trophy win

MALTON & NORTON snatched the York Union of Golf Clubs’ Cross Trophy by the narrowest of margins as the winter golf series concluded at The Oaks and Forest Park GC in dramatic fashion.

Players from the Ryedale course were one shot better than rivals Fulford after 14 rounds of action at the Union’s participating clubs across North Yorkshire over the last six months.

Fulford were leading the table by six shots at the start of the day and their top pair at Forest Park of Ian Darby and Gaz Kilner with 66, well supported by 70 from Matt Kelly and Tim Millward and 71 from Carl Tyrer and John Ward were enough to outscore Malton by a stroke, who replied through Richard Brown and Keith Davies (69), John and Joel Preston (69) and Brian Lowson and Tom Sefton (70).

Members from the Welham Road club were also performing admirably at The Oaks. Alan Miles and Stu Dawes struck a fine 65 and they were helped along by Barry Miller and Eddie Ruddock, along with Ian Charlton and Gordon Kelly, who both hit rounds of 66. With Fulford managing a pair of 68s and a 69, it meant Malton & Norton took glory, and the trophy, by a single digit.

There were two holes in one, scorecard errors and pace of play penalties as the pairs winners were decided. At The Oaks, Paul Carrick, of Pike Hills, aced the 120-yard par three fourth while Kirkbymoorside’s Simon Cass and Richard Wardle took the overall honours with a nett 62.

At Forest Park, the host club’s Bob Mason and Darren Dunning were first out and their 65 proved good enough to take top spot. Richard White and John Walsh (Kirkbymoorside) handed in a 63 but they had failed to check the gross scores correctly and were disqualified.

Simon Coward, of The Oaks, needed only one shot at the short 14th - a seven-iron - but that was not the only drama on the day. Two pairs had pace of play penalties inposed after being more than 20 minutes behind the group in front by the time they finished their rounds.

Malton & Norton were also celebrating a win in the last of the ladies winter events at York Golf Club.

After filling the runners-up positions in the first two stableford competitions, Sue Bellion and Carol Simpson topped the leaderboard with a score of 40.