York duo frustrate Harrogate

York's last pair, Mike Mortimer and teenage spinner Tom Pringle, hung on for seven overs to deny Harrogate victory and gave themselves a 3-3 share of the match points.

The umpires, having allowed play to continue all day in poor light, made no offer to the batsmen, and the match ran its course in gathering semi-darkness.

Harrogate chose to bat first at Clifton Park, a decision they may have come to regret. Only one ball was bowled before a heavy shower caused a 25-minute delay. After that, the innings proceeded uninterrupted, but with fits and starts of activity.

John Proud was first to go, spooning Nash Stone to Mike Mortimer with 38 on the board, quickly followed by elegant partner John Inglis, trapped lbw, the first of five Robert Flack victims. Commanding Peter Hepworth almost doubled the Harrogate total in the company of Ryan Bradshaw.

Bradshaw's promising knock ended with an under-edge to wicketkeeper Nigel Durham off Tom Pringle which allowed in-form Matthew Cousen into battle. He settled quickly and helped Hepworth to weave a pathway into three figures. They added 38 together before Hepworth steered Flack to Dave Catlow.

Both Oliver Hutton and Dave Pennett kept Cousen company for a while, but from 187 for 5, Harrogate collapsed.

Flack and Stone, aided by Steve Jensen's suicidal run-out, ripped away the tail with just three runs added for the last five wickets.

Rain during tea invoked the league's time rule and York knew they would have little more than 40 overs to complete their task. They were rocked immediately when Jensen cleaned up Marcus Wood and Steven Piercy in quick succession.

Simon Mason and Nick Kay looked as though they might break the shackles imposed by Pennet and Jensen and had taken York to 51 with some elegant pulls and drives when Kay edged Jensen for a comfortable catch at the wicket.

Stone carved a rapid 16, but became the first Nick Louden's five-wicket bonanza. Mason followed, superbly stumped by Bradshaw, and York's middle order, groping in the gloom, crumbled in an ungainly heap. But Mortimer held firm, aided first by Richard Gilbert and then in the face-saving rearguard action with Pringle.

Scarborough, victors over Castleford yesterday, beat the weather in yesterday's enforced re-arrangement at Barnsley to pull within just four points of champions and chief contenders Sheffield Collegiate.

Other challengers, Yorkshire Academy, saw their hopes slip when their Sunday game with Cleethorpes was called off without a ball bowled.

Scarborough put Barnsley in to bat, kept them tight at 82 for 2 off 41 overs before rain intervened and reduced the match to a time affected encounter.

When play re-started, teenage leg spinner Rob Barlow starred with a 5 for 38 haul, ably supported by Vic Craven (3 for 18). Much to Scarborough's delight, the home side lost their last wicket with just two balls of their 55-over allocation remaining.

It left the Seasiders a probable allocation of not more than 35 overs to reach the target. Barnsley certainly didn't rush in the field, but Phil Seed (70no) stayed both course and distance to see Scarborough home. He was given early assistance from Andy Gallagher and more emphatic support by Craven (28) and Neil Fletcher (36). A mini-collapse involving Barlow and Tom Whitmarsh forced Darren Harland into a brief, match-finishing entrance.

Nick Tubbs hit 75 not out as Scarborough romped to an eight-wicket win at Castleford on Saturday.

Sheffield United were the only top flight outfit to score an eight-point maximum on Saturday thanks to a Pieter Swanepoel 7 for 36 haul at Doncaster which included a hat-trick.

YORKSHIRE ECB COUNTY

PREMIER LEAGUE

YORK v HARROGATE

Harrogate: J Inglis lbw Flack 20, J Proud c Mortimer b Stone 20, P Hepworth c Catlow b Flack 43, R Bradshaw c Durham b Pringle 19, M Cousen b Stone 61, O Hutton c Gilbert b Stone 5, D Pennett c&b Flack 6, R Knellor b Flack 0, D Crowther b Flack 1, S Jenson run out 1, N Louden not out 0, Extras 14, Total 190.

Bowling: N Stone 20-3-67-3, R Gilbert 6-0-13-0, R Flack 16.2-1-58-5, S Piercy 4-0-19-0, J Pringle 7-2-20-1.

York: M Wood b Jenson 3, S Piercy b Jenson 1, S Mason st Bradshaw b Louden 22, N Stone b Louden 16, R Flack c Bradshaw b Louden 0, M Mortimer not out 34, D Catlow b Louden 0, N Durham b Louden 0, R Gilbert lbw Crowther 13, T Pringle not out 7, Extras 15, Total (9 wkts) 129.

Bowling: D Pennett 12-1-34-0, S Jenson 9-1-24-3, P Hepworth 9-1-20-0, N Louden 7-4-25-5, D Crowther 4-1-20-1.

Rain affected - 3 pts each and G J Mellor.

CASTLEFORD v SCARBOROUGH

Castleford: L Clayton c Cowell b Craven 1, M Thewlis st Whitmarsh b Gray 57, F Watts c Clifford b Craven 4, A Bourke st Whitmarsh b Barlow 58, J Randerson c&b Gray 43, D O'Neill run out 14, W Hodson lbw Gray 0, D Wainwright not out 6, G O'Neill not out 0, Extras 18, Total (7 wkts) 200.

Bowling: N Fletcher 10-3-20-0, V Craven 8-3-15-2, A Gray 16-1-57-3, C Clifford 9-0-36-0, R Barlow 12-0-55-1.

Scarborough: N Tubbs not out 75, D Harland b G O'Neill 4, M Fletcher b Wainwright 32, V Craven not out 72, Extras 18, Total (2 wkts) 201.

Bowling: G O'Neill 16.5-1-80-1, W Hodson 6-0-37-0, A Bourke 3-1-8-0, D Wainwright 6-0-29-1, L Clayton 7-0-36-0 .

Scarborough (6pts) beat Castleford (0pts) by 8wkts.

Umpires: T Boldry and I Oakes.

APPLEBY-FRODINGHAM v DRIFFIELD

Appleby-Frodingham: R King st Howe b Swiers 5, P Taylor lbw Southwick 54, J Windle b Swiers 11, J Uddin lbw Winterbottom 7, M Bramley c M Drury b Southwick 4, R Dransfield c Doughty b Kirk 1, J Taylor c Drury b Southwick 1, J Parker lbw Winterbottom 13, M Morland not out 17, D Hildreth st Howe b Winterbottom 0, P Hilton b Winterbottom 1, Extras 19, Total 133.

Bowling: A Kirk 12-5-24-1, R Swiers 13-3-34-2, A Winbterbottom 10-4-3-30-4, A Southwick 12-6-19-3, R Drury 3-1-8-0.

Driffield: R Gibbs lbw Dransfield 1, R Drury c Hildreth b Hilton 2, A Southwick b Dransfield 16, D Woodcock c P Taylor b Morland 16, M Drury c King b Morland 6, A Kirk b Hildreth 1, A Winterbottom c Windle b Parker 42, K Walker lbw Hilton 3, J Doughty lbw Dransfield 1, D Howe b Parker 4, R Swiers not out 1, Extras 17, Total 110.

Bowling: P Hilton 10-4-31-2, R Dransfield 15-4-38-3, M Morland 14-4-20-2, D Hildreth 7-2-9-1, J Parker 2-0-3-2.

Appleby-Frodingham (8pts) beat Driffield (0pts) by 23 runs.

Umpires: M Maddocks and G Wood.

BARNSLEY v ROTHERHAM

Barnsley: C Wood c Swallow b Davis 16, B Kulbashun c&b Swallow 34, J Ellis c Moss-Ward b Davis 22, R Holmes not out 26, P Benson c Kemp b Davis 12, I Dixon c Smallman b Davis 4, D Brunt lbw Swallow 3, A Ivill run out 32, G Fenton not out 3, Extras 17, Total (7 wkts) 169.

Bowling: M Smallman 14-4-28-0, B Scrivens 10-2-30-0, G Davis 17-4-62-4, A Swallow 14-2-42-2.

Rotherham: B Scrivens b Holmes 11, A Swallow b Wakefield 3, D Kemp c Clayton b Ellis 53, S Guy c Wakefield b Ivill 30, O Burford not out 38, P McGann lbw Holmes 1, S Bailey c Clayton b Ivill 2, G Davis not out 5, Extras 27, Total (6 wkts) 170.

Bowling: A Wakefield 7-0-24-1, R Holmes 8-0-24-2, B Kulbushan 5-0-23-0, G Fenton 7-2-21-0, A Ivill 5.4-0-28-2, J Ellis 5-0-33-1.

Rotherham (6pts) beat Barnsley by 4 wkts.

Umpires: B Whitehead and J Holliday.

DONCASTER v SHEFFIELD UNITED

Sheffield United: M Barlow c Graca b Stokoe 57, A Twigg c Parkin-Coates b Stokoe 49, N Longhurst b Jones 16, C Watson st Chadwick b Jones 2, M King lbw Jones 0, D Yarnley run out 0, P Swanepoel c Dawson b Jones 14, D Burden c Parkin-Coates b Stokoe 1, A Hirst lbw Jones 1, M Downing st Chadwick b Stokoe 2, T Fletcher not out 0, Extras 17, Total 159.

Bowling: P Worthington 8-2-15-0, N Harris 4-0-13-0, P Ellis 6-2-11-0, D Jones 19.1-2-64-5, P Stokoe 17-3-42-4.

Doncaster: W Graca b Swanepoel 1, A Chadwick c King b Swanepoel 7, S Widdup c Twigg b Swanepoel 4, P Worthington b Burden 3, P Ellis c Fletcher b Swanepoel 24, A Parkin-Coates st King b Burden 13, G Dawson lbw Swanepoel 8, N Harris c Swanepoel b Burden 0, R Johnson not out 6, P Stokoe c Yarnley b Swanepoel 0, D Jones b Swanepoel 0, Extras Total 72.

Bowling: P Swanepoel 16.4-3-34-7 (including hat trick), D Burden 16-4-34-3.

Sheffield United (8pts) beat Doncaster (0pts) by 87 runs.

Umpires: J Abram and R E Lawson.

HULL v SHEFFIELD COLLEGIATE

Sheffield Collegiate: N Gaywood lbw Patterson 8, N Priestley lbw Patterson 1, R Kettleborough run out 51, E McKenna lbw Dani 85, C Wall lbw Dayes 7, R Moyser st Londesborough b Dayes 2, J Tasker c&b Dani 7, S Clark not out 0, M Boocock not out 1, Extras 18, Total (7 wkts) 180.

Bowling: S Patterson 11-3-20-2, A Dayes 13-2-41-2, D Page 6-2-17-0, A Dani 16-2-51-2, D Barrick 9-0-37-0.

Hull: A Simpson lbw Wylie 18, W Kirby b Wylie 4, A Dani c Kettleborough b Wall 38, I Haller st Kettleborough b Boocock 8, S Patterson run out 28, T Londesborough run out 7, D Page c Moyser b Tasker 18, D Barrick c McKenna b Hespe 12, A Dayes not out 13, A Kirby not out 3, Extras 9, Total (8 wkts) 168.

Bowling: A Wylie 12-5-27-2, S Clark 4-0-21-0, C Wall 6-2-15-1, J Hespe 16-7-28-1, M Boocock 10-1-34-1, J Tasker 7-1-24-1.

Sheffield Collegiate (6pts) beat Hull (2pts) by 12 runs.

Umpires: B Whitehead and S Roberts.

Played Sunday:

BARNSLEY v SCARBOROUGH

Barnsley: Wood c Whitmarsh b Craven 3, Kulbushan c Clifford b Barlow 54, R Holmes run out 17, P Benson c Gallagher b Barlow 14, B Hunsley st Whitmarsh b Barlow 2, D Brunt run out 20, A Ivill c Batchelor b Barlow 4, G Fenton lbw b Craven 9, A Wakefield st Whitmarsh b Barlow 5, D Clayton not out 4, M Ivill b Craven 0. Extras 7. Total 149

Bowling: N Fletcher 22-8-55-0, V Craven 8.4-3-18-3, D Harland 5-0-20-0, R Barlow 14-2-38-5, C Clifford 5-0-16-0

Scarborough: A Gallagher c M.Ivill b Wakefield 12, P Seed not out 70, V Craven c Clayton b Holmes 28, N Fletcher c M Ivill b A Ivill 36, R Barlow lbw b Fenton 0, T Whitmarsh b Fenton 0, D Harland not out 2. Extras 2. Total (5 wkts) 151

Bowling: A Wakefield 5-0-32-1, M Ivill 7-0-41-0, R Holmes 4-0-22-1, A. Ivill 6.3-0-31-1, G Fenton 5-0-23-2

YORKSHIRE ACADEMY v CLEETHORPES

No play because of rain.