YORK Cricket Club captain Dan Woods held his hands up after defeat at Driffield with the club entering a potential make or break weekend, writes Steven Back.

Woods took responsibility for York’s high-scoring defeat with Driffield last weekend as the team faces an all-important weekend double-header involving Solly Sports Yorkshire ECB County Premier League title rivals Yorkshire Academy.

“If I’m being really honest I captained the side very poorly and I bowled badly so that’s the reason we lost.

“It was no-one else’s fault really,” admitted Woods ahead of praising his team’s batting display in defeat.

“The batting performance last weekend was outstanding. For Liam McKendry to get 140 and for us to score 330 runs is an exceptional achievement, so it was devastating to lose.”

The loss against Driffield increased the pressure to get wins out of both matches this weekend.

York play Harrogate at Clifton Park tomorrow before moving on to play Yorkshire Academy side at Leeds University on Sunday.

Defeat was made even more disappointing as an upset win for struggling Castleford over the Academy meant York missed a vital opportunity to bridge the gap between the two sides prior to this weekend’s fixtures.

Currently in fourth place, trailing the Academy by 19 points, the two games they have in-hand over their rivals could be what saves them.

Should they emerge victorious in both matches it could see the gap closed to three points with a game still in hand.

Against Harrogate, York are poised to name the same side that lost to Driffield.

However, Tom Pringle will take the reins for the critical Academy game as Woods is away with Cheshire on Minor Counties Championship duty.

Under no illusions that both games are must-wins, Woods insisted his side still has a chance of winning the league if they were to slip-up.

He said: “You never know how other sides are going to get on, so if we were to lose a game you wouldn’t say it was definitely over.

“But we are we fully focused on winning both matches and if we are to win the league, to win both of those matches is crucial.”

Defeat in either game would see them drinking from the last-chance saloon, as they play three games in three days over the Bank Holiday weekend.