CHAMPIONS York kept up the pressure on their Solly Sports Yorkshire ECB County Premier Cricket League title rivals with a nine-wicket win over Sheffield United.

In a one-sided game at Clifton Park, the visitors struggled to make headway against a disciplined bowling attack.

Then an unbroken second wicket partnership of 123 between Simon Lambert and Liam McKendry saw the home side to victory inside 23 overs.

Yorkshire seamer Ben Coad got things off to a flying start, having visiting skipper Shabhan Raheem caught behind in the third over.

When Chamal Rajapaksha flashed a catch to Travis Ilka at second slip off Chris Burn, United were 27-2.

Isuru Jayakody began fluently, but the introduction of spin curtailed his aggression and the scoring rate slowed as a result.

Danesh Hussain contributed 18 to a partnership of 40 for the third wicket which lasted 13 overs. The stand ended when he was bowled behind his legs attempting to sweep Tom Pringle.

The rate slowed further with only 36 runs coming from the next 13 overs before Jack Leaning deceived the advancing Danuka Hettiarachchi, who had made 14 when Liam McKendry accepted a straightforward stumping chance.

The score was 103-4 when Coad was re-introduced to the attack and he ousted Jayakody for 49. His 114-ball innings was ended when he failed to control a hook shot, steering the ball to Burn at deep backward square leg.

Dean Smith then edged his first ball to keeper McKendry to give Coad his third wicket and leave the visitors on 117-6.

Skipper Daniel Woods became the fifth York bowler to pick up a wicket when he trapped Jacob Hesletine lbw.

Pringle bagged the last three wickets, included Matthew Taylor after he had hit a four and a six in his innings of 13. Pringle finished with figures of 4-48.

Faced with a modest target, Lambert made his intentions clear from the outset, striking the ball cleanly and picking up four boundaries in his first seven scoring shots.

Fellow opener Leaning was the only batting casualty, bowled for six by Johnny Whiteoak with the score on 23.

Liam McKendry joined Lambert and, once Whiteoak was seen off, scoring became easier against an attack which appeared to offer little threat.

Lambert pulled Rory McInnes-Gibbons to the square-leg boundary to reach a half-century off 52 balls.

Two further boundaries came in the same over to bring up the 100 partnership, the second half of which came off only 31 deliveries.

Lambert finished unbeaten on 67 from 66 balls, with nine fours and a six, and McKendry sealed the victory with a six, his second of the innings, which took him to 51.