CHAMPIONS York Cricket Club are back on top of the Solly Sports Yorkshire ECB County Premier League after a crushing victory over Harrogate.

The unbeaten Clifton Parkers were all out for 251 from their 55 overs and then dismissed the visitors for 185 to complete a 66-run triumph.

Victory looked a long way off when Harrogate’s former Yorkshire player Vic Craven rearranged Duncan Snell’s stumps with the first ball of his second over, leaving York on 6-1.

However, York skipper Marcus Wood’s decision to bat first was justified as Simon Mason and Dan Wilson put on 85 runs in little over an hour.

Mason was first to go for 45 and was followed by Australian Wilson, who made 43 after being promoted to his normal opening position with Liam McKendry dropping down to number four.

Mckendry and Collins were left with the task of rebuilding the York innings and they added 28 before McKendry was caught in the deep.

That brought Nick Kay to the wicket and he and Collins set about the Harrogate bowling before Kay was bowled by left-arm spinner Dan Craven for 46 in the 48th over.

Collins went on to make 60, the top score of the match, before he was out hit wicket. With quick runs from Wood and Tom Bartram, York passed 250 before Bartram was run out attempting an ambitious second run off the final ball of the York innings. Dan Craven finished with 5-84 in 21 overs.

Bartram then struck an early blow when Harrogate began their run chase, having former York player Alexis Twigg caught by Collins for two.

John Proud and Vic Craven added 40 before the former was caught by Mason off the first ball of Tom Pringle’s third over having made 23.

Craven and skipper Ryan Bradshaw took the score to 74 before Pringle had Craven caught at the wicket by Nigel Durham.

A stand then developed between Bradshaw and Nick Lindley which added 45, and came to an end when Bradshaw was caught by Collins off Pringle.

When Lindley was caught by Collins off Daniel Woods’ bowling for 54, the Harrogate tail meekly surrendered to the York spinners.

Pringle took the final wicket with the fourth ball of the penultimate over. The spinners took nine wickets between them, Woods taking 4-69 and Pringle claiming 5-52 as Harrogate were all out for 185 in 53.4 overs.

York followed that eight-point triumph with a 252-run win over Bradford League champions Baildon as they began their defence of the Black Sheep Yorkshire Champions Trophy at Clifton Park yesterday.

York made 332-7 from 50 overs, with Mason making 117, and Baildon were all out for 80.