HITS for six in the final overs won the day in the rain-wrecked Hunters the Estate Agents York and District Senior Cricket League premier division programme.

Because of waterlogged grounds and rain, only two premier division matches were played.

In the whole league only nine of the 42 scheduled matches were played.

In the premier division, Clifton Alliance beat Sessay by two wickets with one ball to spare and Beverley inflicted a five wicket defeat on 2004 champions Easingwold with two balls to spare.

Sessay batted first at Clifton in a 30-over game and reached a presentable 157-9, their main run-scorers being John Flintoff (44), Dave Johnson (32) and Chris Till (31). Francis Hawthorne, with 3-22, was the best of the Alliance's bowlers.

Clifton then seemed to be coasting to victory as skipper Richard Musgrave (47) and John Hunter (45) strung together a 72-run stand for the third wicket.

However, Musgrave was then brilliantly caught by Matt Till, who ran in from the long-off boundary to complete a diving catch.

This triggered a panic in the home ranks, with four batsmen run out in the last two overs.

John Thornton then proved to be the man for a crisis when he struck the fifth ball of the final over out of the ground to earn his side a two-wicket win.

The drama at Shipton Road was matched at Easingwold, where Beverley claimed the spoils in an equally epic finish in a game reduced to the permissible minimum of 25 overs per side.

Easingwold made 131-4, Martin Robinson scoring 42no and Martin Piercy 26. Barry Sayer was the pick of the Beverley attack with 4-63.

He then looked on as Oliver Grantham batted extremely well to make 56no. Jamie Mitchell weighed in with 33, but Gavin Reese posed problems with 4-36, which meant that Beverley needed 77 off the final 11 overs.

The pressure was lifted when 13 runs came off the 22nd over, but the fall of the fifth wicket off the third ball of the final over left the East Riding side still needing three to win.

Simon Roe then strode to the wicket and promptly dispatched his first ball over extra cover for a six to win the game with two balls to spare.

Updated: 09:10 Monday, May 02, 2005