YORK’S English Martyrs’ Roman Catholic Primary School are celebrating a sensational third place in the Drax Cup 2009, the biggest under-9s cricket competition in the country.

The team beat St Wilfrid’s Catholic Primary School, of Ripon, restricting their opponents to 223 after making 248-4 in their play-off at Yorkshire’s Headingley ground in Leeds.

The final was won by Westville House Primary School, of Ilkley, who beat Anston Park Junior School, of Dinnington by 16 runs after scoring 260-2.

A total of 40 children were involved in the finals, played on the Headingley turf prior to the Twenty20 Cup clash between Yorkshire and Derbyshire. The finals were the culmination of a three-month competition which attracted more than 300 schools from across the region.

The competition is organised by Yorkshire County Cricket Club in conjunction with the Yorkshire Cricket Board and the Yorkshire Schools’ Cricket Association.