The weather played havoc with most of the Yorkshire ECB County Premier League programme on Saturday with York's clash at Hull one of four games to be abandoned.

Harrogate and Scarborough Cricket Clubs did get to play but ended up wishing it had rained on their grounds as both crashed to heavy defeats.

'Gate suffered at the hands of Sheffield Collegiate - a game billed in the Evening Press as a possible championship decider - while Boro went down to Cleethorpes.

Both sides were thus deprived of league points, whereas if the games had been rained off they would at least have been entitled to three points.

Defending champions Collegiate were restricted to what proved to be a sporting total of 184 for eight against last season's runners-up, Harrogate.

Nick Gaywood had scored 67 with useful scores of 22, 18, 23 and 17 from Neil Priestly, Richard Kettleborough, Ed McKenna and Charlie Wall respectively, after Peter Hepworth had produced one of his best-ever off-spin bowling returns of seven for 56 in 21 overs.

But Gate's early optimism at the prospects of gaining sweet revenge over Collegiate soon began to wilt as their front order batsmen collapsed with John Inglis (6), John Proud (0) and Hepworth (10) failing to get to terms with Collegiate.s bowlers.

Ryan Bradshaw (30), Steve Jenson (23no) and Dave Pennett (20) were Harrogate's main run makers but it was all in vain as 'Gate were restricted to 101 for nine.

Collegiate's eight-point haul places them two points behind leaders Yorkshire Academy, who have played one more game.

Cleethorpes' two-man band came in handy again at North Marine Road where Scarborough were bowled out for 96 runs in 37.2 overs mainly as a result of a blistering 20-over medium pace stint by Andy Carrington, who took seven for 56.

Lurking in the wings was Cleethorpes' celebrated Kiwi Test opening bat, Matthew Sinclair, who helped to rattle the runs off in 26.5 overs in an unbeaten opening partnership with Mike Smith.

Sinclair scored 73no of Cleethorpes' total of 99-0 with Smith contributing 26 not out, Sinclair clouting three massive sixes and seven boundaries off 82 balls.

The only other Yorkshire League game to get under way was at Kings Mill Road where Driffield had raced to 139 without loss in 39 overs against Rotherham before rain put the shutters up for the rest of the day.

Aussie Rod Gibbs had scored 77 and Rob Drury, also unbeaten, added an unbeaten half century.

YORKSHIRE ECB COUNTY PREMIER LEAGUE

HARROGATE v

SHEFFIELD COLLEGIATE

Sheffield Collegiate: N Gaywood c Louden b Hepworth 67, N Priestley c Bradshaw b Louden 22, R Kettleborough c Scales b Hepworth 18, E McKenna c&b Hepworth 23, C Wall c Louden b Hepworth 17, J Tasker c Inglis b Hepworth 12, S Moyser st Bradshaw b Heporth 1, D Clark c Proud b Hepworth 2, M Boocock not out 4, G Williams not out 2, Extras 16, Total (8wkts) 184.

Bowling: S Jenson 14-1-38-0, D Crowther 11-0-51-0, P Hepworth 21-3-56-7, N Louden 9-1-29-1.

Harrogate: J Inglis c McKenna b Kettleborough 6, J Proud c Williams b Wylie 0, P Hepworth c Tasker b Wylie 10, R Bradshaw c Clark b Boocock 30, P Hampshire c McKenna b Boocock 20, O Hutton run out 0, R Scales c Boocock b Tasker 7, D Pennett c McKenna b Tasker 20, D Crowther b Tasker 0, S Jenson not out 23, N Louden not out 0, Extras 5, Total (9wkts) 101.

Bowling: R Kettleborough 13-6-27-1, A Wylie 8-3-11-2, M Boocock 15-9-17-2, J Tasker 15-6-30-3.

Umpires: TM Cottam & S Roberts

Collegiate (6pts) beat Harrogate (0pts) by 83 runs.

SCARBOROUGH v CLEETHORPES

Scarborough: A Gray b Carrington 0, D Harland c Sinclair b Davies 10, M Cowell c Wilson b Davies 1, N Tubbs c Stevenson b Carrington 0, P Seed b Carrington 7, C Batchelor b Carrington 2, A Lyth b Carrington 5, N Fletcher b Carrington 28, T Whitmarsh lbw Davies 11, R Barlow lbw Carrington 18, C Clifford not out 6, Extras 7, Total 96.

Bowling: A Carrington 19-5-50-7, J Davies 11.2-4-19-3, G Thompson 4-1-12-0, M Sinclair 3-0-11-0.

Cleethorpes: M Sinclair not out 73, M Smith not out 26, Extras 0, Total (0wkts), Total 99.

Bowling: N Fletcher 4-0-13-0, A Gray 11-3-27-0, R Barlow 5-1-30-0, C Clifford 5-0-15-0, C Batchelor 1.5-0-14-0.

Umpires: B Whitehead & GJ Mellor.

Cleethorpes (8pts) beat Scarborough (0pts) by 10wkts.

DRIFFIELD v ROTHERHAM

Driffield: R Gibbs not out 77, R Drury not out 51, Extras 11, Total (0wkts) 139.

Bowling: L Jeffries 10-2-29-0, M Smallman 13-6-32-0, A Swallow 9-0-38-0, B Scrivens 4-0-19-0, J Trower 2.3-0-15-0.

Umpires: JM Mullaney & RE Lawson.

Match abandoned - rain - 3pts each.

No play due to rain or unfit grounds - 3pts each: Barnsley v Appleby-Frodingham, Doncaster v Yorkshire Academy, Hull v York, Sheffield United v Castleford.