York CC Vs Yorkshire Academy – Match Report

At Leeds University, Weetwood, 29 June. York won by seven wickets. Yorkshire Academy 0pts, York 10 pts. Toss: Yorkshire Academy. York ended the first half of what has been a testing league season with a morale boosting victory against Yorkshire Academy thanks largely to an inspirational performance from skipper Duncan Spell who picked up three wickets before securing maximum points for only the second time in 2019 with an unbeaten 87.  Whilst clear blue skies were a welcome sight above the university playing fields it meant the visitors  having to contend with soaring temperatures as they took to the field. Finlay Bean, playing against his parent club for the first time, opened the innings with captain and leading run scorer James Wharton and together they made a positive start scoring 49 from the first 11 overs. Bean had made 16 when he was caught by a diving Oliver Batchelor at gully, having chased a wide delivery from Snell, and his opening partner should have followed soon after but the chance was spilled by the keeper. Charlie Elliot’s first league wicket for over a month ended Harry Duke’s short stay at the crease, Chris Booth taking a regulation catch at slip leaving the match evenly poised after 16 overs. The fielding side were left to rue the earlier missed opportunity as Wharton completed his third half-century of the campaign, it came up during a partnership of 65 for the third wicket with Arjun Ramkumar and it was his dismissal, bowled by Clarke Doughney for 30, with the score on 122 that sparked a collapse which would see five wickets fall in the space of nine overs for just 18 runs. Among them was the key wicket of Wharton who, with the vast open spaces on the leg side available picked out Charlie Elliot at deep square leg off Jack Charters, his innings of 71 from 107 balls including eight fours the highest for the hosts in matches between these sides in Yorkshire League North. The dramatic passage of play left both Charters and Doughney each with two wickets and the spinner increased his haul to three when Harry Harding failed to clear Snell on the edge of the circle at mid-off, it came in the penultimate over of the teenagers 13 over unbroken spell from the pavilion end and final figures of 3-46 represented his best performance since joining the Clifton Park side. Snell returned for a second spell late on and it was his brace which closed out the innings on 183, the visiting skipper returning season best figures of 3-35. Oliver Batchelor, playing in familiar surroundings having spent time playing for Leeds/Bradford MCCU at their Weetwood home, was the only casualty in the first half of the visitors reply and could count himself a touch unlucky to be caught down the leg side having made 21. James Billington has passed fifty only once to date but came close to doing so a second time reaching 46, including three fours and two sixes, before being trapped lbw, however his part in a stand of 107 put the visitors firmly in charge. Chris Booth was the only other batsman dismissed, managing to strike four boundaries before top edging a ball from Harry Harding straight up in the air gifting the spinner, and ‘keeper Harry Duke  a second dismissal of the afternoon. It was little consolation for either as soon after Snell struck the ball to the boundary for a tenth time in his 119 ball innings to bring about the victory, Ben Robinson making his competition debut at the other end watching on.