OVINGTON III battled through drizzle and rain on Sunday to reach the final of the York Vale League's Scothern Construction Cup by the narrowest of margins.

With opponents - higher-ranked division two Hemingbrough - also keen to play despite the weather, the teams agreed to play a 30-overs-a-side contest, and it went down to the wire.

Ovington batted first and made good use of a fast outfield which got slower as the match went on.

An opening stand of 45 in just seven overs between Karim Baqai (21) and Matthew Besford (45), plus a late cameo of 22 from Chris Buckley, got Ovington to 124 all out. Andy Rowley took four wickets in his last three overs to finish with figures of 8-1-27-4.

Hemingbrough struggled to 18-3 from seven overs on a damaged wicket before Leo Howard (41) and Stuart Bennett (18) got them back in the match.

Howard and Granville North (18) then added 32 to take Hemingbrough beyond 100 but both departed with victory in sight.

Seven were needed off the last over, then two off the last ball, but Callum Ransome was run out giving division four outfit Ovington the win.

Had Hemingbrough got a single, the match would have been tied, with Hemingbrough winning by virtue of losing fewer wickets.

In the other semi-final, Dave Fearn took 3-20 for Wheldrake as Bishopthorpe II reached 53-4 before the match was abandoned.

One other cup game produced a result on Sunday - Melbourne beating a weakened Askham Bryan by five wickets in a Guy Mitchell 20-over match played in constant drizzle.

Askham made 110-6 with opener Alistair Hogben scoring 64 not out in dreadful conditions. Melbourne's reply looked in trouble at 21-3 after five overs with Parag Mohite (3-21) doing the damage as batting conditions worsened. But Melbourne recovered to win in the 19th over.

The other semi-final ended with Stillingfleet on 32-1 against North Duffield. The match has been rearranged for Sunday, August 9.

Ovington II and Heworth II ignored the weather forecast and decided to give their Prendergast Memorial Cup semi-final a go and stick with the 40-over format.

The game was eventually called off just after tea, opener Tom Matthewson (68) having guided Heworth to 170 all out in the 35th over. Harry Buckley and Ralph Sinclair claimed three wickets apiece.

The captains agreed a new date of Sunday, August 9 for the replay.

The other Prendergast match between Selby II and Thorpe Willoughby II was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Sunday’s showpiece HPH Cup final at Acomb between Ovington and Bishopthorpe was called off on Saturday because of the predicted bad weather. It will be played at the same venue on Sunday, August 16, starting at 1.30pm.