THE HPH York Vale League representative side were narrowly beaten in their Graham Headley Trophy match against the Senior League's Eastern Conference XI at Selby on Sunday.

The game went the full distance with the Conference team winning by four runs after posting 173-9 from their 40 overs.

David Barker (Hice) was they key man striking two sixes and half a dozen boundaries in his 64 before being trapped lbw by Mike Stellings (North Cave).

His innings came after Adam Prescott (Burn) and Dan Fairclough (Stockton & Hopgrove) had made early inroads into the Conference line-up. Barker and Rob Gainer (Sutton) then added 95 for the third wicket before the Vale bowlers hit back as Prescott, Stellings and Mark Earle (Westow) ended up with two wickets apiece.

Needing to score at 4.35 an over for victory, the Vale reply got off to a poor start with skipper Richard Kerrison (Stockton & Hopgrove) and Leigh Adamson (Burn) back in the pavilion with only 19 on the board.

North Duffield's Steve Miller (38) and James Windeatt (North Cave) gave the innings some impetus and the odds were shifting towards the Vale XI until Windeatt (31) fell to a fine catch on the boundary by Simon Wallgate (North Dalton) off the bowling of Rob Johnson (Humbleton), who finished with 3-34.

No Vale partnership topped 50 as the Conference backed up some tight bowling with good fielding, but the Vale side were always in the hunt.

The game went down to the final over bowled by Jordan Caley (Humbleton) but last pair Fairclough and Oliver Brett (North Cave) could just not find that crucial boundary.

 

York Eastern Conference XI: T Payman (Humbleton) b Prescott 0, D Barker (Hice) lbw Stellings 64, G Nicholls (Hessle) b Fairclough 17, R Gainer (Sutton) b Steel 21, J Caley (Humbleton) run out 18, L Picken (Hessle) b Earle 9, R Johnson (Humbleton) c Earle b Stellings 0, A Kingston not out 3, S Wallgate (North Dalton) b Earle 4, A Blagg (Sutton) b Prescott 0, D Smith (Hice) not out 1. Extras 26. Overs 40. Total: 173-9.

Fow: 1-0, 2-33, 3-128, 4-137, 5-160, 6-161, 7-166, 8-171, 9-172

Bowling: Prescott 8-2-31-2, Fairclough 4-0-21-1, Brett 7-0-33-0, Steel 8-1-39-1, Stellings 7-0-23-2, Earle 6-1-23-2

HPH York Vale XI: R Kerrison (Stockton & Hopgrove) c&b Wallgate 2, S Miller (North Duffield) c&b Kingston 38, L Adamson (Burn) b Picken 5, M Stellings (North Cave) c Baker b Smith 22, B Steel (Ovington) lbw Kingston 7, J Windeatt (North Cave) c Wallgate b Johnson 31, M Earle (Westow) c Caley b Gainer 9, A Prescott (Burn) c Wallgate b Johnson 10, J Kerrison (Stockton & Hopgrove) b Johnson 5, D Fairclough (Stockton & Hopgrove) not out 10, O Brett (North Cave) not out 4. Extras 26. Overs 40. Total: 169-9.

Fow: 1-12, 2-19, 3-66, 4-81, 5-110, 6-127, 7-141, 8-148, 9-160

Bowling: Picken 8-2-27-1, Wallgate 1-0-11-1, Blagg 5-1-23-0, Kingston 8-0-34-2, Johnson 8-0-34-3, Smith 4-0-14-1, Gainer 3-0-10-1, Caley 3-0-14-0

Eastern Conference won by 4 runs.