YORK Cricket Club can see a chink of light in their bid for a sixth successive Solly Sports Yorkshire ECB County Premier League title but vice-captain Nick Kay says the side must put the hammer down at Yorkshire Academy tomorrow.

The Clifton Parkers’ dominating win against Appleby Frodingham, and a washout for Harrogate, reduced the latter’s lead at the top of the table to nine points – with the two sides set to meet later in the season.

But York’s chase will count for nothing if they lose to the exciting county youngsters, who have been a regular thorn in their side in recent seasons.

“When you are playing catch-up, you can’t afford to slip up,” Kay said. “Our run-in is a bit harder than Harrogate’s in that we have Rotherham and the Academy to play, so, from our point of view, the odds are stacked against us.

“The Academy are a team that have tended to get the better of us in years gone by. We have to look at ourselves and say we have underperformed. We have to show we can play against a good seam attack on a less than friendly batting wicket.

“We know what to expect, we have to adapt and get a result.”

On Sunday, York will try to reach the last four of the Yorkshire League Cup when they host Rotherham in the quarter-finals. The first attempt, played last week, had to be abandoned after nine overs because of the weather with the South Yorkshire side at 39-1.

For the Academy match, Tom Pringle returns in place of Charlie Elliot but the pair swap against Rotherham. Steve Lambert comes in for the League Cup with Kay stepping aside.

Meanwhile, York batsman Duncan Snellhas been named as the Gunn & Moore Cricket World batting performer of the month after hitting 364 runs in four matches.