YORK lost their Yorkshire ECB Premier League match against Doncaster by three runs with three wickets remaining.

However, they still retained the leadership by a mere two points from Sheffield Collegiate, who disposed of Harrogate in a high-scoring game but will be rueing the missed opportunity to go eight points clear.

After an early Rob Flack success Simon Widdup and Andrew Parkin-Oates built a useful stand of 61 when the introduction of Dan Broadbent saw his first ball claim Widdup clean bowled.

Coates was holding together but soon Riley O'Neill joined Broadbent and he quickly took five wickets in six overs.

Ashley Fiddler and Chris Cousack put on a useful 30 before O'Neill wrapped up both to earn himself a seven-wicket haul aided by wicketkeeper Nigel Durham's four victims in a total of 175.

York applied themselves to a steady build-up lead by Stephen Piercy but Doncaster had read the signs and soon had their own spinners, left arm Duncan Jones and off-spinner Paul Stokoe in harness.

Three wickets fell and runs dried up to two an over as Will Warne and Dan Broadbent pulled things round. Even then, with six wickets left to score 75 in the last 15 overs, a win seemed probable for York.

Run rate parity was scarcely maintained and, with the last seven overs requiring 41 runs from five wickets, victory was not out of the question, even if wickets were tumbling.

In the end, eight victory runs off the last over from paceman Parkin-Coates proved too much as he put in a couple of bouncers to limit the scoring.

Updated: 10:17 Monday, July 26, 2004