York Cricket Club turn to barnstorming teen power (From York Press)

York Cricket Club turn to barnstorming teen power

10:07am Friday 11th May 2012 in Yorkshire League

SIMON LAMBERT will get his chance to open the batting when York Cricket Club go to Barnsley in the Solly Sports Yorkshire ECB County Premier League tomorrow.

The highly-rated teenager, who has impressed in the seconds at Clifton Park, will lead the line for captain Dan Woods with century hero Duncan Snell, unavailable because he is attending a wedding.

That is a blow for York after Snell bagged superb 139 off 172 balls in a thrashing of Scarborough on Bank Holiday Monday, a victory which followed defeat against Driffield and a Black Sheep Trophy loss at Woodlands.

Vice-captain Nick Kay believes the Clifton Parkers were undercooked in their first match of the season and is backing Lambert to take his chance at Shaw Lane. “He has been knocking on the door for a few years to open the batting,” he said of the 19-year-old. “Now he will get the chance to prove what he is made of. He has been with us since under-9s and scored 800-odd runs in the senior league last year.

“He deserves a chance.” On the club’s “slow start” to the season, Kay added: “Five of us made scores in excess of 20 against Driffield and no-one made a 50. Whether it was a lack of concentration, or a touch of complacency, we were a little bit cold. “They had a very good batsman but we came off believing we should have won. That was disappointing when you consider how we then went about it on Monday.

“It is not uncommon for us to make a slow start. It’s not a position that frightens us but winning is a habit and we want to get off to the right start.” Barnsley were traditionally York’s strongest rivals for league glory for several seasons and Kay has seen signs that the South Yorkshire club may be ready to push on again at the top of the table.

“Barnsley have made their home ground a bit of a fortress,” he explained. “They are a very tough team to beat at Shaw Lane and they have recruited well. They have probably under performed for the last four or five years. They have had two good results and are already six points ahead of us. “There’s pressure on them. They will see the game as a benchmark. We need to take the momentum built on Monday to get a result at a ground where we have won for the last three years.”