Berry good, Darryl - go round again!

THE Yorkshire Union of Golf Clubs has confirmed the reappointment of Darryl Berry as county captain for 2020.

Berry, from Baildon Golf Club, had intended to step down after the 2019 campaign, during which Yorkshire prevailed in the Daily Telegraph Northern League for the fifth consecutive year. But a change in circumstances resulted in his continued availability for 2020, much to the delight of the YUGC Executive Committee.

Berry, who played in 45 county matches for Yorkshire between 1999 and 2014, was a member of team that won the Northern Counties title In 1999 and 2000.

He represented Yorkshire at four English County Finals and was in the teams that were crowned champions in 2001 at Burnham & Berrow and again at La Moye, Jersey in 2002, where he won all three of his singles matches.

The 2002 Yorkshire champion, capped by England three times, saw his tail-enders come to the rescue as the Tykes clinched the Northern Counties League title with a victory over Northumberland at Middlesbrough Golf Club.

Yorkshire lost the first two foursomes and halved the third match before clinching the last three games to take a slender one-point lead into the afternoon singles.

It didn’t look good in the second session when Yorkshire could only muster one and a half points from the first seven games thanks to a half from Malton & Norton’s David Hague and a one-hole victory from Lindrick’s Sam Rook.

With Northumberland seemingly in control, Yorkshire rallied to win the last five games through Oliver Sullivan of Phoenix, Skipton’s Max Berrisford, Abbeydale’s Tim Brind, Josh Morton (Huddersfield) and Rotherham’s Lewis Hollingsworth.

The narrow 10-8 victory was good enough to clinch the Norther Counties title which is contested by Cumbria, Cheshire, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland and Yorkshire.