There are plenty of Oxbridge Yorkshire ECB County Premier Cricket League derby matches this Spring Bank Holiday weekend thanks to the astute homework by the league's fixture secretary, Dave Young, of Castleford.

He has pitched York against Castleford tomorrow at Savile Park, while Clifton Park provides an attractive venue on Bank Holiday Monday for Scarborough to try to reverse the league double inflicted on them by York last season.

Scarborough then face up to Harrogate on Monday at North Marine Road.

Both last season's scheduled games between Castleford and York were ruined by bad weather. It is two years since these two sides completed a fixture with each other.

The last time they met at Castleford, York won by three wickets, being steered to victory by their former skipper Ian Dews, who took six for 58 in 25 overs and then scored an unbeaten 48 with the bat. Nick Kay was in excellent form for York that day, top scoring with 64.

Castleford's John Randerson scored a half century before taking three for 29 with his off-spinners.

Both clubs will be fancying their chances tomorrow following York's emphatic 97 run victory over Rotherham, and Castleford's four wicket win over Doncaster Town in the only two Yorkshire League games that got under way last Saturday.

Ed Senneck, who scored 30 against Rotherham and then took three wickets for three runs in 2.1 overs, is missing from York's line-up at Castleford as he is involved in a University 'Roses' match against Lancaster University. Senneck's place in the York side is taken by the club's registered Australian all-rounder Nash Stone.

Stone came to York as a bowler and took 74 wickets at an average of 14.86 to finish third in the league averages last season. He also scored over 500 runs as a welcome bonus. But he might not be bowling tomorrow as he damaged his shoulder playing football some weeks ago.

Back into the York side also comes slow bowler Rob Lancaster, who was unavailable last week.

Senneck is added to York's squad for the match against Scarborough on Bank Holiday Monday as York chase a treble over their old foes.

In both last season's games York won by six and seven wickets, with Stone accounting for a total of 11 Scarborough wickets, while Nick Kay and Marcus Wood scored 89 not out and 71 respectively.

There was bitter disappointment for Harrogate this week when Yorkshire's Victor Craven signed for Scarborough.

Harrogate's skipper John Proud has also seen Antony Burton head for Pudsey Congs, and Darren Wyrill, the former groundsman at St George's Road, has moved to play for Beckwithshaw in the Airedale and Wharfedale League.

Harrogate are pinning their hopes on newly signed Australian Steve Jenson. He was recommended to Harrogate by fellow Aussie Jamie Stewart, who set a Yorkshire League bowling record (90 wickets at 10.38 each) with Harrogate in 1999.

Harrogate will not need reminding of the threat posed by Scarborough's veteran off-spinner, 58-year-old Chris Clifford, who has regularly been taking a consistent average of 55 wickets a season for the last few years.

Hovingham born, Clifford sets out this weekend with 1,350 Yorkshire League wickets to his credit at the remarkable average of 17.24.

He was recommended to Warwickshire by Geoff Boycott in 1979 and he spent two seasons at Edgbaston before returning to his old stamping ground to torment many generations of Yorkshire League batsmen.

In 1976 he once took nine York wickets for 21, including a hat-trick that claimed the wickets of former club captain Clive Robinson, New Zealander Chris Kirk, who was a tutor at York University, and Colin Raper, who is now teaching at Bootham School.

The only York batsmen who escaped the clutches of Clifford that day was Des Wyrill, who was clean bowled by Shepherdson.

Clifford said this week that he will continue playing for Scarborough so long as he is still doing a job for them.

He admitted that he is "beginning to feel it a bit," but could see himself turning to golf to improve on his 13 handicap.

Updated: 11:53 Friday, May 04, 2001