LEG spinner Mark Bell turned on the style to keep York Cricket Club on course to retain the Yorkshire County ECB Premier League title.

He took seven wickets in a comfortable 94-run victory over Yorkshire Academy at Headingley yesterday.

Rivals Harrogate also won so York maintained their seven-point lead at the top.

Richard Blakey, the Academy captain, invited York to bat first and gifted them a view of the nature of the pitch.

This was not apparent at first as Michael Sheedy and Simon Mason (55) scored freely against the home pace bowlers. York were well past the hundred mark when leg spinner Adil Rashid and off spinner Simon Tennant, from Driffield, entered the attack.

The tempo slowed immediately as the pitch responded to spin and Mason fell to a brilliant leg boundary catch by Whitby-based Adam Lyth.

York's batting subsided as Tennant hooked five scalps. Only Sheedy (88) prospered until he fell to a rash shot when a century was within his grasp. York's total of 208 was less than had once seemed likely and they gifted five overs to the opposition.

After ten overs of the new ball York skipper Marcus Wood introduced his spinners Dan Broadbent and Mark Bell with the latter claiming both openers Blakey and Rashid.

Hardly bowling a loose ball throughout, Bell had complete mastery of the opposition. The bowlers were backed up by good fielding, highlighted by a smart direct hit run-out by Mike Mortimer.

Only Lyth (40) posed a threat in an accomplished knock that emphasised his promise.

The previous day, York's game at Castleford, in common with virtually the rest of the league programme, was abandoned because of rain.

The only match to reach a conclusion was at Driffield who lost to Scarborough by two wickets.

The Seasiders' leg spinner Mark Lawson took 6-29 as the home side were bowled out for 104 in 48.3 overs.

Yorkshire Academy v York

York: M Sheedy c Lyth b Conway 88, D Broadbent c Wood b Conway 0, S Mason c Lyth b Tennant 55, N Kay b A Rashid 1, D Snell lbw b Tennant 0, M Wood b Tennant 0, R Flack c Holdsworth b tenant 7, M Mortimer b Conway 12, N Thornicroft b Conway 10, M Bell b Tennant 0, N Durham not out 0. Extras 35. Total: 208-6.

Bowling: S Patterson 8-1-23-0, D Conway 9.1-1-37-4, Naveed Sayeed 2-0-16-0, C Fletcher 5-0-36-0, A Rashid 13-1-36-1, S Tennant 12-2-37-2.

Yorkshire Academy: R Blakey lbw b Bell 26, A Rashid c & b Bell 16, P Holdsworth b Bell 5, C Batchelor lbw b Broadbent 4, A Lyth b Bell 40, G Wood c Thornicroft b Bell 9, Naveed Sayeed lbw b Bell 5, D Donway run out 1, S Patterson c Thornicroift b Broadbent 1, S Tennant c Mason b Bell 0, C Fletcher not out 3. Extras 4. Total: 114.

Bowling: N Thornicroft 6-1-25-0, N Kay 5-2-14-0, D Broadbent 16.5-4-44-2, M Bell 16-5-30-7.

York won by 94 runs.

Updated: 11:38 Monday, August 15, 2005