Tim Wade paid tribute to Bingley St Ives’ Jeremy Tetley for standing in at the last minute in Bradford’s opening day defeat to East Riding.

Tetley was due to caddy for his son Henry in the match at Driffield but ended up playing himself after the late withdrawal of JD Hussain, whose mother had been rushed into hospital overnight.

Jeremy helped earn two points alongside Northcliffe’s Rob Malloy in a morning foursomes win on the last green, though Bradford ultimately went down 20-16.

Wade said: “The last time Jeremy played for Bradford was 35 years ago and I was in the team! We greatly appreciated this fine gesture and it will not be forgotten.”

After winning the foursomes 8-4, the visitors lost five of the first six singles. Wins from Terry Brushwood, Jack Laybourne and Malloy kept them in the hunt but Andy Woodhead’s long putt on the final green in the last match clinched victory for East Riding.

Wade said: “This really felt like snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. We played the last hole poorly and paid the consequences. Not once did we win that last hole but we lost it four times.

“Now we know what we have to do for the rest of the season. That is to win all our remaining matches.”

East Riding 20, Bradford 16 (at Driffield) – Foursomes (4-8): S Robins & L Robinson lost to W Whiteoak & R Hillas 3&1, S Pybus & S Boddy bt A Town & T Brushwood 3&2, A Lockwood & D Digby lost to D Bairstow & J Laybourne by 1 hole, L Nicholls & M Woodhall lost to M Atter & H Tetley 3&2, L Blanchard & S Dillon bt J Copperwaite & J Mountain 2&1, R Gray & A Woodhead lost to R Malloy & J Tetley by 1 hole; singles (16-8): Robins bt Whiteoak (Shipley) by 2 holes, Robinson bt Hillas (Shipley) 5&4, Pybus bt Town (Bingley St Ives) by 1 hole, Boddy lost to Brushwood (Bingley St Ives) by 1 hole, Lockwood bt Atter (Bradford) by 1 hole, Digby bt Bairstow (Bingley St Ives) 3&1, Nicholls lost to Laybourne (Bingley St Ives) by 1 hole, Woodall halved with H Tetley (Bingley St Ives), Blanchard halved with Copperwaite (Branshaw), Dillon lost to Malloy (Northcliffe) by 1 hole, Gray bt Mountain (Shipley) 4&2, Woodhead bt J Tetley (Bingley St Ives) by 1 hole.