York’s drive to close out ’Gate

10:14am Friday 9th May 2008

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FOLLOWING their heartbreaking loss to Hull on Bank Holiday Monday, York Cricket Club will look to pick themselves up when they host Harrogate at Clifton Park.

After a commanding win over Appleby Frodingham last weekend, a tight match with Hull ended in disappointment for York when - with the match coming down to the final ball and Hull needing five to win - the home side hit a six.

An injury to a stomach muscle, picked up during York's opening match with Rotherham, kept bowler Nick Kay out of the side for the clash in the Humber but he said the Clifton Parkers were unlucky to come up short.

"I've never seen a game where a side needed five off the last ball and hit a six," he said. "We batted extremely well and probably got the worst of the conditions.

"We didn't get much luck but credit to the Hull guys (Simpson and Hodgson) who got big scores. A loss is a loss and you just move on. We will hope that in tight games in the future the luck will go with us."

Kay's injury is York's only worry ahead of Harrogate - a game he reckons York have to win if they are to keep in touch with the leaders in the Oxbridge Yorkshire ECB County Premier League.

"Any game is a big game," he continued. "There are five or six fairly strong sides and you can't let them get ground on you in the early days.

"After three games you can't win the league but you certainly can lose it.

"We are already ten points adrift of the top and we have to treat every match like a cup final."

Kay will have a fitness test tomorrow but hopes to be fit, while Duncan Snell returns to open the batting. Mike Mortimer is away and Graeme Tomlinson will retain his place in the starting XI.

"I pulled a muscle in the stomach against Rotherham and didn't realise. I have seen the physio and am having a fitness test today.

"In the light of that, we haven't yet made the full selections for either of the first two teams but we hope to be absolutely at full strength," Kay said.