South Bradford Golf Club edged by St Ives Golf Club

It was the second event of the campaign for the Bradford Golf Union and South Bradford Golf Club faced off with St Ives in the Inter Club Fourball Championship.

Ben Davey and Will Thornber, representing St Ives, paired up with Busfield and Tasker but it would the former pair who took victory at Branshaw Golf Club, topping the table with a gross score of 63.

South Bradford, who arrived at this event as favourites, came 2nd with a gross score of 64 leaving their team representatives just short of victory.

Reflecting on the day, Bradford Union captain, Busfield said: “First of all, the event was great, and Branshaw did a great job of catering for all the players.

“The course was in a brilliant condition; the greens were immaculate and had a perfect roll and the fairways held up very well.

“Unfortunately, we lost but we lost to a very strong duo. Ben and Will played fantastically and on reflection, they deserved to come away with the victory.

“It was nip and tuck right until the 16th hole, but they had the edge coming into the final two holes. It was a great game, and I thoroughly enjoyed the day.”

Busfield went on to highlight the strengths of Sunday’s opponents, when he said: “It was the first time I’ve played with Will, and it was a pleasure.

“He’s able to hit the ball so far and he didn’t really do anything wrong, so there was little margin for error on our side.

“Will and Ben are both very young players, but when you are up against a pair who are consistently striking the ball well down the fairways and are making little mistakes, then it can be quite hard to get an upper edge.”

Will Thornber (right) and Chris Wren middle (Image: Submitted)

When asked about the duo’s ability to challenge for more of the top prizes in the future, Busfield said: “They’re (Davey and Thornber) both very strong golfers for their age (early 20s), there’s no denying that.

“Both of them are going to be very competitive around Bradford in the future years, but I feel like Will can achieve that a lot sooner, but that’s no disrespect to Ben.

“I describe Will as being ‘different gravy’; he hits the ball extremely far and he rarely makes a mistake, so I can see him being a force in the Bradford Union in the future.”

Busfield and Tasker return to action this weekend when they travel to Rudding Park, Harrogate for the latest YIDU (Yorkshire Union) match where they take on Harrogate, of course.

They’ll be looking to avenge defeat from the first contest against Halifax/Huddersfield on May 19.

Looking ahead to it, Busfield said: “It was a narrow defeat last time out and there is a lot to build on.

“We’ve got a good mixture of youth and experience, and the future is exciting for the union.

“Hopefully, we can get back to winning ways this weekend at a very nice course in Harrogate.”