DORSET kicked off the South West Championship with an impressive draw against Cornwall at Saunton Golf Club today.

Trailing 5½ to 2½ after the morning singles, Dorset won three of the foursomes matches after lunch to level the match 7-7.

Skipper Giles Legg and Jon Welch led the comeback with a 2 and 1 win in the opening match.

They were followed onto the scoreboard by the successful pairings of Dave Norton/Robbie Mabb and Dave Cook/Tom Leech.

And Legg’s team were a whisker a way of completing a foursomes clean sweep when Tom Peacock and Dean Barnes squared their match at the penultimate hole.

But their Cornish opponents ensured honours were even by winning the last hole and levelling the overall match.

Dorset’s winners in the morning singles were assistant captain Cook and former Europro Tour winner Barnes.

Ferndown’s Matt Hector, however, provided the day’s heroics by clawing his way back from four down, with just five holes to play, to earn half a point for his county.

Dorset play the host county Devon in today’s second match before tomorrow’s South West Individual Strokeplay Championship and EGU County Qualifier.