Needing to beat Yorkshire in their match, it all came down to Charlie McKinnes’ 12-foot par putt on the 18th hole – and he duly sank it under pressure to send Gloucestershire into jubilations.
Heading into the day, Gloucestershire knew they had to beat Yorkshire to win the Men’s County Championship title for a fourth time in the competition’s 100-year history, while Yorkshire just had to avoid defeat to land their record 24th title.
Essex also had slim hopes of bagging their third ever title but needed a mammoth win over reigning champions Leicestershire & Rutland. They triumphed 5.5-3.5 to finish just a half-point behind Yorkshire in 3rd.
With Gloucestershire winning 4.5 points out of 8, they needed a half from the last match on the course, where McKinnes had battled back from 4-down through 4 against an on-fire Habib Khan, to take it to the final hole.
Both didn’t hit tee shots and the approaches they were hoping for as the crowd gathered around the 18th, and after Khan’s 20-foot par putt just missed, McKinnes stepped up to roll in his putt.“My heart’s still beating out my chest!” said McKinnes. “I knew the situation was building with more people turning up to watch, so I knew that it was relying on my game to get the half-point for the win. I just tried to focus and get that half. It was very entertaining and I enjoyed it a lot!
