York suffered their third consecutive defeat in the Oxbridge Yorkshire ECB County Premier Cricket League as Driffield avenged a nine wicket defeat by York last August.

There was a similar tale of woe for Scarborough, who lost for the first time this season and conceded joint top place in the league to the Yorkshire Academy.

There was a shock for Cleethorpes' New Zealand Test star Matthew Sinclair, who had set the league alight this season with a double century and two tons in his first three league games.

He was clean bowled for 14 by Castleford's opening bowler Gary O'Neill (3-27), which spelled doom for Cleethorpes who were dismissed for 96 and beaten by 96 runs.

Driffield's top scorer against York was Rob Drury, who was dropped in the early twenties but went on to make 87 before being clean bowled by Greg How.

Drury played a major part in helping the Woldsmen rally from being 35 for two in the twelfth over.

He and Andy Tows put on 140 for the third wicket before Tows was run out in the 44th over after scoring 69. Tows hit nine of his eleven boundaries down the leg side.

Driffield made 230 for eight and York were were dismissed for 197 in 54 overs, giving Driffield their first eight pointer of the season.

After making a sweet cover drive, Ed Senneck was York's first casualty when in the fourth over and with the score 16 he was snapped up behind the wicket off the next ball.

Nick Kay (25) was next to go, when the total was 58 in the thirteenth over.

Simon Mason (40) and Nash Stone (36) put on a half century for the third wicket and there was a partnership of forty between Mason and Ben Quick (28).

York were 151 for four in the 45th over but then the batsmen struggled to reach their total of 197 with the help of 33 extras.

They lost their last six wickets for the addition of only forty runs.

Opening bowler Greg How battled hard to contain the Driffield batsmen, bowling 17 overs for a return of five for 77.

Rob Flack took one for 27 and run out accounted for the other Driffield batsmen to fall.

Yorkshire Academy's England Under-15 and Under-17 tourist Tim Bresnan speaheaded Scarborough's downfall.

Right-hander Bresnan followed the 74 he scored out of his side's total of 174 for seven by coming on at third change bowler and taking four wickets for nine runs in seven overs of right arm pace.

Nick Thornicroft, from Sheriff Hutton, took two for 17 in seven overs including the wicket of Boro's Australian Andrew Gray (21) as Scarborough were dismissed for 127 in 49 overs chasing the Academy's 174 for seven.

Harrogate made it three in a row when they beat Sheffield United (163 for nine) by five wickets with five overs to spare.

Harrogate's opening batsman John Inglis hit a half century. United's batsmen fell to Peter Hepworth (3-25), Nick Louden (3-29), Steve Jenson (2-32) and Dave Pennett (1-40).

Driffield v York

Driffield: R Gibbs lbw How 20, R Drury b How 87, A Southwick lbw How 0, A Tows run out 69, M Dean c Mortimer b Flack 28, M Drury c Mortimer b How 0, A Kirk run out 8, D Howe c Kay b Flack 1, M Woodcock not out 1, Extras 21. Total (8wkts) 230.

Bowling: R Gilbert 10-1-45-0, G How 17-1-77-5, T Pringle 11-2-38-0, R Flack 10-3-27-1, E Senneck 2-0-11-0, M Mortimer 5-0-21-0.

York: E Senneck c Howe b Hodgson 6, S Mason c Hodgson b Woodcock 40, N Kay b Kirk 25, N Stone c Howe b Woodcock 36, B Quick b Drury 28, M Mortimer b Woodcock 11, R Flack c M Drury b Woodcock 16, G How c M Drury b Drury 0, N Durham c Gibbs b Woodcock 6, R Gilbert b Woodcock 4, T Pringle not out 0, Extras 33. Total 197.

Bowling: R Swires 6-0-25-0, G Hodgson 7-2-28-1, A Kirk 6-1-29-1, M Woodcock 19.1-4-56-6, R Drury 15-4-43-2.

Driffield (8ts) bt York (0pts) by 33 runs.

Umpires: J Abram & I Oakes.

Harrogate v Sheffield United

Sheffield United: M Barlow b Pennett 9, B Leigh lbw Louden 11, A Twigg b Jenson 43, D Yarnley b Louden 4, C Watson st Bradshaw b Louden 15, B Hunsley c Crowther b Hepworth 26, M King c Bradshaw b Hepworth 11, P Swanepoel lbw Hepworth 25, G Davis c Hepworth b Jenson 4, P Eastwood not out 0, Extras 15. Total (9wkts) 163.

Bowling: D Pennett 13-0-40-1, S Jenson 14-2-32-2, N Louden 11-2-29-3, D Crowther 9-2-28-0, P Hepworth 8-0-25-3.

Harrogate: J Inglis c King b Swanepoel 55, J Proud c King b Swanepoel 33, P Hepworth c Watson b Eastwood 5, R Bradshaw run out 31, O Hutton not out 16, P Hampshire c Swanepoel b Davis 1, D Pennett not out 17, Extras 6. Total (5wkts) 164.

Bowling: P Swanepoel 25.4-5-63-2, M Downing 5-1-25-0, P Eastwood 10-2-21-1, B Hunsley 4-0-26-0, G Davis 6-0-25-1.

Harrogate (6pts) bt Sheffield United (0pts) by 5 wkts.

Yorkshire Academy v Scarborough

(at Headingley)

Yorkshire Academy: A Gale b Clifford 22, J Sayers c Cowell b Gray 19, R Pyrah c Fletcher b Clifford 3, T Bresnan c Seed b Gray 74, I Dews c Fletcher b Barlow 5, T Bhatti c Seed b Clifford 1, C Brice b Gray 13, C Elstub not out 10, G Ramsden not out 23, Extras 25. Total (7 wkts) 174.

Bowling: V Craven 7-3-7-0, M Wells 7-3-12-0, A Gray 16-1-57-3, C Clifford 12-4-24-3, R Barlow 13-1-55-1.

Scarborough: V Craven run out 43, N Tubbs b Ramsden 13, D Harland c Dews b Bresnan 6, M Cowell lbw Bresnan 4, A Gray b Thornicroft 21, P Seed c Dews b Brice 3, N Fletcher c Ramsden b Bresnan 1, M Wells b Bresnan 0, R Barlow run out 10, T Whitmarsh not out 14, C Clifford b Thornicroft 0, Extras 12. Total 127.

Bowling: C Elstub 10-1-41-0, G Ramsden 8-0-28-1, N Thornicroft 6.5-0-10-2, D Stiff 10-4-21-0, T Bresnan 7-3-9-4, T Brice 7-1-9-0.

Yorkshire Academy (8pts) bt Scarborough (0pts) by 47 runs.

Updated: 09:57 Monday, May 21, 2001