Williams & Dyson edge exciting pairs final

2011 Pairs Champions - Allan Williams & Kevin Dyson

Allan Williams & Kevin Dyson were crowned as the 2011 Northern Matchplay Golf Championship pairs winners after a thrilling climax to the 36-hole final at The Alwoodley Golf Club today.

The duo from Seaham Golf Club stood one-down with a couple of holes to play but won the last two, against Sean Finlay & Steven Boswell, in dramatic fashion to seal the title and land a golfing holiday to Spain, thanks to the main sponsor of the championship, Golf de la Luz.

The previous day they had defeated Keswick's Barry Gaskell & Stuart Wilson in the morning quarter-final and then ended the long 15 match unbeaten run of defending champions Ben Ryland & Ashley Ibbotson from Doncaster in the semi-final. Previously they had battled through five qualifying rounds to reach and then win the Durham regional final at Seaton Carew Golf Club earlier this month.

Boswell & Finlay

Their opponents, who brought a real spark to the grand final with their entertaining style both on and off the course, had won the Pleasington Pairs Pursuit back in August to land a grand final place. And they seized that opportunity by coming from three-down to win their quarter-final match and then edged another close game in their last four encounter.

Williams (3 hcp) & Dyson (11 hcp)  trailed by two holes at lunch in the final but by the time the tie had reached the 12th tee in the second round they had turned it round to hold a two hole advantage, thanks in part to a series of birdies by the category-one player including three in a row from the sixth.

And from there on in it was a roller-coaster ride of a contest with not another halved hole.

Finlay (6 hcp) & Boswell (9 hcp), members at The Tytherington and Wilpshire golf clubs respectively, hit back at the 12th when Finlay chipped and putted for a nett birdie. But they fell two behind again at the next when Dyson's par was good enough for a win.

Finlay, also a member at Mere Golf & Country Club, produced a splendid birdie at the 14th when he rifled a long iron to 12-feet and then sunk the putt, when a half looked likely. At the next a solid par from the same golfer won the hole after Williams had driven out of bounds and Dyson had flirted too close to the trees down the right so had to lay up short of the green.

With the game all-square Boswell showed his metal by sinking a testing downhill putt for a nett birdie to win the 16th and give the charismatic doublet not only the lead but the momentum heading into the last two holes.

That run of three losses in a row would have been a sucker punch for most but the Durham pair, who showed remarkable resolution to hang in there, took advantage of a couple of leaked drives down the penultimate hole by their opponents to level the match.

With the game all flat going down the 36th Williams & Dyson both hit good tee-shots whilst Boswell bunkered his drive but Finlay arrowed one down the middle. Dyson couldn't reach the green with his approach but chipped to ten-feet. Meanwhile Williams found the green but around 30-feet away and Finlay pushed his second shot right before pitching to 20-feet. With the North East pair in the box seat Williams rolled his putt up to three-feet, Boswell made double-bogey and Finlay failed to hole his par putt meaning that Dyson and his partner both had a putt to win the match. The former calmly rolled his in to win the holiday to Spain.

It has been three exceptional wins for the 2011 champions over the two-day finale at Alwoodley and makes them nine games without defeat in the competition.

The third place play-off match went the way of Michael Whalley & Gordon Whinkup from Marsden Park who beat Ryland & Ibbotson 7&6.

Photographed right are Dyson & Williams flanked by The Alwoodley Golf Club Captain, Mr Peter Naylor, and Golf de la Luz director Dan Thomson.