YORK Cricket Club's opening home fixture in the Yorkshire ECB Premier League saw them prevail over Harrogate by seven runs.

This was some compensation for losing out to 'Gate in the Championship last year but it was a close run game and the result was tempered by York's failure to bowl the champions out and gain the extra two win-points.

Asked to bat, York suffered early reverses losing Dan Broadbent and Aussie Daniel Wilson, but Steve Piercy held firm and put on 80 with Nick Kay before Duncan Snell and Rob Flack plundered the visitors' reserve bowlers to post a total of 269-9 throughout which visiting pacemenTom Glover had grafted hard for a five-wicket return

Alexis Twigg and Simon Mason, both former York players, made the total look small with fluent batting in what was a tribute to the excellent pitch prepared by Steve Machen, the York head groundsman. They added 175 in 30 overs and although visiting skipper Dave Pennett tried to maintain the momentum, wickets began to fall.

When Twigg was out for an excellent century, containing 18 fours and two sixes, 53 runs were required off ten overs.

By then Nick Thornicroft was in full flight in an excellent death spell where he claimed four wickets to choke the Harrogate victory advance with Mark Bell's leggies blocking up the other end. The Harrogate side included Andrew Bilton from Woodhouse Grange, who is on a Yorkshire Academy scholarship. He enjoyed his maiden Yorkshire League victim when he had Tom Bartram caught and bowled.

Updated: 10:30 Monday, April 24, 2006