Unbeaten Sessay march on

Sessay have reached the half-way point of the HUNTERS YORK & DISTRICT SENIOR CRICKET LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION season unbeaten and have a 30-point lead over their nearest title rivals. Mark Wilkie’s (57) third consecutive half-century helped them to a seven wicket win at home to Studley Royal as they chased down a score of 121 inside 15 overs. Ben Kettlewell was the pick of the home attack taking 3-36 as the visitors struggled from the start, Adam Newcombe was their top scorer with 29 but they never looked like posting a total that would challenge a side which had won seven out of eight completed games in 2021. 

 

Folkton & Flixton sit second in the table but lost a little more ground as they failed to bowl out Sheriff Hutton Bridge. The home side dominated the early part of the match scoring 275-9 which began with 30 from opener Tom Norman and went on to include a stand of 83 between Will Hutchinson (64) and Harry Walmsley (54) which was followed by a further partnership of 65 between Walmsley and Elliot Hatton (43). Nadeem Shefta (4-68) and Matthew Bird (3-52) tried to fightback for the visitors and picked up wickets late on but by then much of the damage had been done. When ‘Bridge came to bat they were able to rely on a composed innings from opener Harry Sutcliffe who stood firm finishing unbeaten on 92 as despite four wickets from Walmsley (4-59) they held on to be 198-8 at the close. 

 

Malton & Old Malton moved up to third bowling out Hull Zingari for 130 to secure a third straight victory. Thomas Bumby took 5-38 and Dean Coote 3-25 as the visitors replied to their hosts’ total of 156. Earlier Michael Linsley (55) made his third half-century of the season for the home side and Ben Gill scored 42 as Jack Storey (5-17) and James Hellwig (3-56) shared eight wickets. 

 

It was a tale of two lower order partnerships as Beverley Town travelled to Welton and came away with a four-wicket win. The home side were in trouble early on after three wickets from Harry Metcalfe (3-40) but they recovered firstly through a hard fought 33 from James Windeatt and then a stand for the seventh wicket of 62 between Chris Lound (32no) and Rob Page (35no). Their total of 148-6 might have seemed a modest one but with the visitors at 67-6 in reply there looked to be every chance it would be a winning one. Then it was ‘Town’s seventh wicket pair of Will Harrison (29no) and Thomas Haytack (52no) to take centre stage the duo putting on a match winning stand of 82. 

 

A partnership of 127 for Whitkirk’s second wicket between Sean Pickles (51) and Matthew Webb (89) allowed the hosts to build an unassailable total of 243-9 against York which featured three wickets for Tom Spearman (3-27). Tom Webb (3-58) and Angus Fairburn (4-35) were both amongst the wickets as the visitors slipped to 56-6 when Oliver Leedham (62) and Sam Backhouse (62no) came together, both batters made their highest scores for the club and Backhouse remained unbeaten at the end to secure a share of the points when the innings closed on 195-8. 

 

Report by Kevin Hutchinson