by Peter Vine

York gained a brilliant shock four-wicket victory over Cleethorpes at Clifton Park on Saturday as both the favourites for the Oxbridge Yorkshire ECB County Premier League title, Sheffield Collegiate and Harrogate, lost and Scarborough were left without a game after travelling to Barnsley.

Few would have given York a prayer as Cleethorpes' New Zealand international batting star Matthew Sinclair scored another century. But he ended up being on the losing side.

Sinclair and Cleethorpes' skipper Mike Smith (47) put on 139 for the first wicket. Smith was bowled by Stephen Piercy in the 34th over.

Jonathan Stephenson (59 not out) and Sinclair then took the score to 228 after 48 overs.

Sinclair, having scored 119, was caught on the long-on boundary by Rob Flack off Nash Stone who, despite a shoulder injury, took three for 63 in ten overs.

The New Zealander's innings included a six over mid-wicket and 15 fours leaving him then only 12 runs short of the fastest 1,000 scored in the Yorkshire League.

York set about their massive task of overtaking Cleethorpes' total of 261 for four and achieved it with four wickets and four balls to spare.

In a reshuffled front four, Nick Kay was the first wicket to fall, dismissed in the fourth over with the total 13.

Simon Mason (32) was joined by Marcus Wood (51) and they shared a second-wicket partnership of 83.

Nash Stone (51) and Michael Mortimer, run out for 45, made strong contributions and there was an unbeaten seventh-wicket half century flourish between Ben Quick (32 not out) and young Piercy (25 not out).

Andy Carrington, who had destroyed Scarborough's innings with a seven-wicket haul the previous weekend, took only one for 30 in 11 overs.

Harrogate suffered a shock 33-run defeat at Castleford.

Steve Jenson, Harrogate's registered overseas player, took six for 37 as the home side were dismissed for 192 in 55 overs.

Garry O'Neill then took five for 29 as Harrogate were dismissed for 159 in 51 overs.

Harrogate's front four batsmen - John Inglis (16), John Proud (20), Peter Hepworth 18) and Ryan Bradshaw (7) - failed to make any inroads. Paul Hampshire, with 48, was the only Harrogate batsman to reach double figures.

Sheffield Collegiate lost by one run to Rotherham, who set Colllegiate a total of 214 for eight to beat, but the Abbeydale Park side ended just two runs short of victory.

There is to be a league inquiry into the breakdown in communications that led to Scarborough arriving at Barnsley's Shaw Lane ground to find there was a second team game going on which was given priority over the first team.

The Barnsley official informed Scarborough's skipper Mark Cowell that he had notified the relevant Yorkshire League officials and umpires of the situation.

But this information had not been communicated to Cowell.

Updated: 14:12 Monday, June 25, 2001