Wet West & Cottingham march on

All six matches in Division One West of the Hunters York & District Senior Cricket League were brought to a premature conclusion as heavy rain swept across the region leaving matters at both ends of the table unresolved heading into the final three weeks of the season. 

 

Stephen Piercy (4-58) took four wickets for leaders Easingwold at Heworth, the home side’s total of 159-9 including a partnership of 81 between the only two batters to reach double figures. Chris Klays (50) made a half-century and Fergus Wishart 77, his highest score of the season. Rain arrived at the interval denying the visitors an opportunity to reply. 

 

Harrogate scored 202-9 against second-paced Carlton Towers the highlight of which was the innings of Cooper Smith, the teenager scoring a career best 83. Mark Spetch finished with figures of 5-36 from eight overs, and when the game ended 11.4 overs into the home sides innings, they had reached 28-1 in reply. 

 

Only 16.3 overs were possible between Thorp Arch & Boston Spa and Knaresborough and the visitors might well have been grateful for the intervention as they had slumped to 59-6, and that represented something of a recovery with the sixth wicket having fallen with the score on just 17. Kevin Owens (24no) and Tom Baines (13no) were the two not out batters following three wickets each from Nitikant Kasana (3-21) and Oliver Riley (3-37). 

 

An extraordinary match at Bolton Percy saw visitors Sessay battle their way to 48-7 of 36 overs, none of the batters reaching double-figures the additional of 12 extras providing a quarter of the sides total. Tom Atkinson bowled 15 overs taking 4-10 and Tom Anderson took 2-17 from 11. The home side innings lasted just eleven balls off which they reached 9-1, rain denying them the chance of victory. 

 

Harry Watkinson (91) came within nine runs of a century before becoming one of three wickets for Jack Heartshorne as Dringhouses scored 220-7 at Clifton Alliance. The teenager shared a second wicket stand of 79 with his skipper Liam Hancy who made 42, and ten balls of the visitors’ innings remained when unrelenting rain forced the players from the field. 

 

It was a similar story at Osbladwick with no opportunity for Thirsk to respond to the hosts total of 246-7. Captain Matthew Hattee scored 108, to go alongside three half-centuries this season, and put on 135 with James Hattee (65) for the third wicket. Both batters were eventually dismissed by Tom Spence who took his total for the season to 22 taking 3-78 from 15 overs. 

 

The best of the weather was certainly in the East where four of the six games reached a conclusion. League leaders Cottingham were too for relegation threatened Hull Zingari winning by 163 runs. Danny Moss (79) and James Brown (65) put on 135 for the hosts opening wicket, and there was no let up as Daniel Furlong scored an unbeaten 44 for only 36 balls. Fergus Wilkinson took three of the four wickets to fall conceding 89 runs in a total of 263. The visitors were bowled out for 100 in reply, the competition’s leading wicket-taker Dominic Rhodes (5-14) with his fourth five-wicket haul of the season. 

 

Casey Rudd (6-36) and Ben Traves (4-42) where the only bowlers needed by Bridlington as they dismissed hosts Hornsea for 78 from 22.1 overs, the pair bowling unchanged from the start. Despite 26 from opener Paul Clappinson who guided the side to 37-0 bottom of the table Hornsea once again failed to reach three figures. The visitors certainly didn’t have things all their own way Nick Moulds taking 3-36 as they somewhat stumbled over the winning line five wickets down and if it hadn’t been for an aggressive 48 not out from just 33 balls from Sam Wragg it might have been a different outcome. 

 

There was a disappointing end to proceedings at North Marine Road when rain halted an evenly poised game between Scarborough and Driffield Town. Four wickets from Charlie Hopper (4-43) put the home side on top in the early stages but the visitors fought back through James Richardson (62) and Muhammad Hamza Khan (97) who shared a partnership worth 98 for the sixth wicket. Khan missed out on a maiden century but helped push the sides total up to 233-8 before becoming the last of three wickets for Sam Carver (3-61). The home side reached 152-4 in reply opener Edward Hopper unbeaten on 59 having put on 72 with Thomas Precious (33) before the rain closed in. 

 

There was also a tight finish in prospect with Woodhouse Grange on 150-6 chasing Beverley Town’s 171 in the other game which fell victim to the weather. 

 

Neal Jackson scored a match-winning 98 not out for Pocklington who beat Patrington by six wickets, partnerships of 93 with Howard Johnson and 66 with Nathan Saltmer (24) helped their side chase down a target of 197 inside 34 overs. Saltmer took 5-49 earlier in the day, and Andrew Anderson 3-44 to limit the home side for whom Ian Buss had made 45 and Grant Van Es and unbeaten 44. The defeat was a blow to Patrington’s chances of clinching the play-off place which now looks to be between Bridlington and Driffield Town. 

 

At the opposite end of the table Sutton-on-Hull picked up a vital win at Londesborough Park, both teams battling to avoid relegation. The hosts skipper James Beevers scored 37 in his sides total of 134 but was powerless to prevent Sam Graham running through the line-up finishing with 6-32 although Lucas Stephenson (29) and Tom Eagling (20) did offer some resistance. Visiting captain Rob Gainer also picked up two wickets but it was with the bat that he came to prominence in the game making 62, before becoming one of three wickets for Joe Shingles (3-34), his side winning in the end by five wickets 

 

Report by Kevin Hutchinson