YORK Cricket Club were beaten by eight wickets as Yorkshire Academy retained the Solly Sports Yorkshire League Cup at Clifton Park.

The euphoria of the previous day's Championship success soon disappeared as the hosts slumped to 87-8. Tom Pringle and Charlie Elliot mounted an entertaining rearguard action but a total of 160 was never likely to be enough and so it proved.

The match began well for the home side as, having chosen to bat, Adam Whatley took advantage of the fielding restrictions to score freely while demonstrating a willingness to take on the barrage of short pitched bowling served up by a visiting attack determined to avenge back-to-back defeats in the League.

The Australian opener’s aggression eventually led to his downfall when, having made 22, Yasser Imtiaz took a well judged catch on the boundary edge at deep mid-wicket - the first of four wickets for Academy captain and eventual man of the match Matthew Waite.

When Simon Lambert edged Jordan Thompson to slip at the start of the next over, the home side were 38-2 and a period of consolidation was required.

The McKendry brothers advanced the total to 66 but Ryan’s departure, bowled attempting to sweep spinner James Logan, sparked a collapse which resulted in the loss of four further wickets for the addition of only 21 runs.

Liam McKendry, having been dropped twice on his way to 19, was also bowled by Logan and Chris Booth, in his final appearance of the season, scored 14 before being trapped lbw by the spinner who finished with 3-26 from his ten overs.

Waite then returned to the attack and picked up two wickets, both caught by ‘keeper Jonathan Read, and by the time Charlie Elliot joined Tom Pringle at the crease York were in danger of failing to reach three figures.

Their partnership of 52 from 11 overs showed great determination given the circumstances and was appreciated by the large band of home support.

Pringle produced arguably one of his finest performances with the bat this season and had struck four boundaries off a Yasser Imtiaz over to reach 35 but, after adding a further single, was caught at point off the first ball of a new Jared Warner spell.

Last man Chris Burn defended stoically and may well finish the season without a run to his name but his presence allowed Elliot to add a further to the total before being last out for 30, lbw to Waite who finished with 4-39.

York were unable to find the early breakthrough required to put the visitors under pressure and by the time Pringle had Mosun Hussain (35) caught behind the total had already reached 83.

Harry Brook made 14 and helped push the score to 113, off almost 30 overs, before picking out Whatley at mid-off with Pringle again the bowler. In contrast to what had gone before Waite showed little inclination towards defence, 24 of his first 28 runs coming in boundaries.

Opener Eliot Callis brought up his half-century off 116 balls as the cup holders closed in on victory and the result was sealed by Waite with back to back sixes - the target reached with almost a dozen overs to spare.