Magnificent Seven..

Dunnington clinched top spot in the Hunters Yorkshire League North standings with a 22-runs victory at home to Castleford. It was the seventh consecutive win for the Common Lane side, who began the season with two defeats but from that point on never looked back. Adam Sutcliffe (62) helped get the innings off to a positive start, the opener who passed 50 for the third time this campaign shared partnerships worth 62 and 54 with Andrew Bilton and Harrison Mussell for the first two wickets. Eddie Morrison (3-35) captured the wickets of all three but Jack Bolam and Ashley Watson put on an unbeaten 54 as the home side reached 174-4. Three of the visitors top four all got starts despite which they were always off the pace and Eitan Litvin’s run-a-ball 30 towards the end came too to alter the outcome. 

 

Stamford Bridge brushed aside Sheriff Hutton Bridge to claim the runners-up spot winning at Moor Farm with almost 20 overs to spare. The home side who had been 40-1 were bowled out for 94 with three wickets each from Dominic Rhodes (3-26) and James Keast (3-24). The visitors lost a couple of early wickets but then a partnership of 65 between Benjamin Pearson and James Pick got them almost over the line, Pick there at the end unbeaten on 44. The result means the visitors complete the season as the only side unbeaten away from home having won four and had one no result on their travels in 2020. 

 

Clifton Alliance leap-frogged Sheriff Hutton Bridge into third after beating Woodhouse Grange in the days closest finish, the hosts winning with eight balls and just one wicket to spare. In a low-scoring encounter at Alliance the visitors reached 149-8 thanks largely to a half-century from opener Tom Stubley (60) and 35 from Jonty Atkinson, the latter one of five wickets for Craig Nicoll who finished with figures of 5-35 from eight overs. The hosts struggled to build partnerships, Stephen Burdett taking 3-26, and it needed an excellent knock from Samuel Grant to hold the innings together, one of five batsmen to have made a century in this years’ competition Grant scored 61 from 57 balls including four sixes but when he was ninth out with three still needed for victory the match could easily have gone either way. 

 

Acomb’s eight-wicket victory at St George’s Road sees them clinch a place in the top-half, and like so many of their positive results this season it owed much to the batsmanship of William Wade, the right-handed opener finishes the season as the leading run scorer more than 100 clear of his nearest rival. He passed 50 for the fifth time in nine innings and on this occasion remained 60 not out in an eight-wicket win over Harrogate, an opening stand of 134 alongside skipper Matthew Dale (70) setting their side well on the way to overcoming the hosts total of 158-7. That was the second century stand of the afternoon following one worth 103 for the home sides’ second wicket between Harry Allinson (57) and William Bates (42). The pair were both dismissed with the score on 105 and their side never fully recovered, Joe Dale taking advantage with 3-40. This was Harrogate’s sixth defeat and their sole victory over Driffield Town in week five means they finish with the wooden spoon. 

 

Town, who like Harrogate, have struggled for form signed off in spectacular fashion with a 40-run victory over York at Kings Mill Road in what was, by some distance, the highest scoring game of the day. The hosts built an imposing total of 251-6 from a platform provided by an opening stand between Alec Drury (85) and youngster Noah Kelly (58) who put on 154 before both fell in quick succession to Harvey Gration (3-36). The mantle was taken up by captain Danny Broumpton and his 43 off just 23 balls left the visitors with a proverbial mountain to climb. Duncan Snell (44) and Guy Darwin (34) made a positive start but three wickets from Nicky Johnson (3-59) including Nick James for 39 left the visitors with too much to do in the later stages and they closed on 211-8, missing out on the top half of the table on net run rate.