Key weekend for York Cricket Club (From York Press)

Key weekend for York Cricket Club

11:38am Friday 1st June 2012 in Yorkshire League

TROPHY-CHASING York Cricket Club are heading into a key weekend in their calendar in high spirits.

After a surprise defeat on the opening day of the season, York have since picked up form in the Solly Sports Yorkshire ECB County Premier League, culminating in last weekend’s impressive nine-wicket victory over rivals Yorkshire Academy.

As they step up their bid for a sixth successive league title, they face struggling Castleford at Clifton Park tomorrow before travelling to Rotherham on Monday.

Sandwiched in between on Sunday in a hectic schedule is a home clash with South Northumberland in the ECB National Club Championship – the one competition to have eluded York in recent years.

Captain Daniel Woods is striving for victories in both competitions, hoping the recent hard work the players have been putting in will pay off.

Woods understands the significance of the busy period and views success in both competitions as equally important.

“The lads have been doing very well and training really hard,” he said. “It is massively important for us that we are going well in the league, so we need to make sure we carry on being successful in it.

“The National is a massive competition, which is hugely important. It is the one we haven’t been as successful in in the past and South Northumberland are a good side, so we are really looking forward to it.”

Tomorrow’s match against Castleford sees York field an unchanged team from the one that beat bogey side Yorkshire Academy.

A need for more depth in the bowling attack for the ECB National Club Championship will see Glen Richmond come back into the side.

He will replace Jake Murphy against South Northumberland after an impressive treble-wicket taking display in the previous round victory over Scarborough.

Murphy will then return for Monday’s fixture at Rotherham, replacing Andrew Tute.