York Cricket Club got their 2001 season off to a cracking start with a thumping 97-run victory over Rotherham.

The match at Clifton Park was one of only two games in the Yorkshire ECB County Premier League which was completed.

Bad weather combined with already waterlogged pitches meant that all matches in the league apart from the one at York and Doncaster were abandoned without a ball being bowled on Saturday.

Harrogate's game at Barnsley yesterday was also off because the Shaw Lane ground was waterlogged.

With several Rotherham cars arriving late at Clifton Park because of traffic hold-ups York batted first and skipper Nigel Durham sportingly lended Rotherham two players in order to get the game started on time.

York made 191 for 6 in 55 overs before their bowlers shot Rotherham out for just 92 in the 43rd over.

The scores, however, hide some tremendous performances from batsmen and bowlers alike, particularly 14-year-old Easingwold School spinner Tom Pringle, who was making his senior debut for York.

He sent down 12 overs of leg break bowling and ended with a brilliant return of 2 for 16, including Rotherham's top scorer Oliver Burford, who made 24.

The South Yorkshire side were never really in the hunt after York posted a decent total with all the batsmen getting among the runs.

Ben Quick produced York's top score with an unbeaten 51, while opener Ed Senneck, who had a fine all-round match, made 30 before being stumped with York's score on 47 for 1 in the 22nd over.

York accelerated in the second half of their innings to set a target that was never really challenged.

Simon Mason, who was scheduled to play for the Yorkshire Cricket Board side against their Lancashire counterparts at Nelson in the Cheltenham and Gloucester Building Society Trophy, previously the NatWest Trophy, hit 26 and Nick Kay 25.

Senneck proved his all-round ability with a bowling return of 3 for 3 in 2.1 overs towards the end of the Rotherham innings which had earlier been undone by Greg How.

The little Australian-born player produced a great opening spell with the new ball, taking out four of Rotherham's front order batsmen for a return of 4 for 24 in 24 overs.

In the only other league game to be played, Doncaster were bowled out for 126 in 49 overs at Town Fields leaving Castleford to overhaul Town's lowly total by reaching their target in 30 overs for the loss of six wickets.

YORKSHIRE ECB COUNTY PREMIER LEAGUE

YORK v ROTHERHAM

York: M Wood c Plummer b Scrivens 10, E Senneck st Burford b Smallman 30, S Mason c Kemp b Jeffries 26, N Kay c Trower b Jeffries 25, B Quick not out 51, R Flack c Scrivens b Jeffries 14, M Mortimer lbw Jeffries 2, G How not out 19, Extras 15, Total (6 wkts) 191.

Bowling: B Scrivens 20-5-61-1, M Smallman 14-4-40-1, A Swallow 8-1-30-0, L Jeffries 13-1-50-4.

Rotherham: D Plummer c Kay b How 4, S Guy b How 7, J Trower b How 0, D Kemp c Flack b How 11, O Burford b Pringle 24, A Cooke c Durham b Gilbert 7, B Scrivens b Senneck 18, A Swallow st Durham b Senneck 9, A Bashford c Durham b Senneck 1, L Jeffries lbw Pringle 0, M Smallman not out 0, Extras 13, Total 94.

Bowling: R Gilbert 11-1-25-1, G How 11-2-24-4, R Flack 6-1-17-0, T Pringle 12-5-16-2, E Senneck 2.1-0-3-3.

York (8pts) beat Rotherham (0pts) by 97 runs.

Umpires: J M Mullaney and J Holliday.

DONCASTER v CASTLEFORD

Doncaster: P Ellis b Watts 4, A Parkin-Coates run out 12, P Worthington c Grey b Wainwright 35, G Dawson c Parkin b Grey 31, N Harris c Parkin b Grey 10, W Graca c Thewlis b Grey 6, S Nicholson b Watts 0, A Fiddler lbw Watts 3, A Chadwick not out 2, P Stokoe b Watts 4, D Jones b Watts 3, Extras 16, Total 126.

Bowling: F Watts 15-2-37-5, G O'Neill 5-1-25-0, D Wainwright 10-2-35-1, A Bourke 10-2-14-0, T Grey 9-3-10-3.

Castleford: J Parkin b Ellis 26, L Clayton b Harris 6, M Thewlis b Ellis 24, A Bourke b Ellis 8, J Randerson b Worthington 28, F Watts not out 25, C Jackson c Chadwick b Worthington 0, G O'Neill not out 0, Extras 10, Total (6 wkts) 127.

Bowling: P Worthington 13-2-54-2, N Harris 7-2-18-1, D Jones 3-0-11-0, P Ellis 7.3-0-41-3.

Castleford (8pts) beat Doncaster (0pts) by 4 wkts.

Umpires: M Maddocks and N Tasker

No play (grounds unfit - 3pts each): Appleby-Frodingham v Yorkshire Academy, Barnsley v Harrogate, Cleethorpes v Driffield, Hull v Sheffield United, Scarborough v Sheffield Collegiate.

* All games in the NPI East Yorkshire Cricket Alliance were abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Updated: 12:51 Monday, April 30, 2001