DIVISION one leaders Ovington stayed on course for the title with a 67-run victory over basement side Askham Bryan in the HPH York Vale Cricket League.

Tom Ashby scored a patient 70 to anchor the top-of-the-table side’s innings of 178-8.

Askham soon got into trouble in reply as Barry Steel returned figures of 4-26 from 12 overs.

Ovington bowled 14 maidens to restrict the visitors to 111-9.

Third-placed North Cave held Kelfield to 219-9 from their 40 overs.

Cave got off to a terrible start, losing three early wickets and then Craig Hewson (70) and captain Rob Page (95no) rebuilt the innings with a partnership of 131.

Page’s innings proved a match-winner as Cave won by six wickets.

Hemingbrough overcame early problems against Hirst Courtney as Rob Scarr (71) and Toby Bodycombe (59) steered them to 234-8.

A superb opening stand of 134 by N Goddard (73) and P Alford (52) put Hirst in a strong position, but wickets tumbled to Scarr (4-50) and Mike Pounder (4-48) and they fell 23 runs short.

Fulfordgate’s top order had no answer to Bishopthorpe’s Ian Holmes (5-18), whose five victims were all bowled. Fulfordgate were 113 all out and, despite losing two early wickets, Bishopthorpe cruised to victory thanks to Scott Clapham (47no) and Holmes (53no).

Stockton & Hopgrove beat Burn by seven wickets in a high-scoring clash.

Leigh Adamson and Ray Adamson (66) put on 100 in 17 overs and Ed Clark added 54 as Burn closed on 238-7, with Ross taking 4-45 and Matt Durkin 3-45.

Durkin then punished the bowlers from the start of Stockton’s reply and raced to a century before continuing to 173 not out to seal a seven-wicket victory in the 34th over.

Thixendale edged their top of the table clash with Clifton Alliance in division two by one run.

Les Milburn (83) top-scored in Thixendale’s 179 all out and Alliance finished one run short as they could only manage a bye off the final ball.

Third-placed North Duffield lost to Selby by three wickets. Paul Johnson scored 60 of Duffield’s 161-8, but Steve Whisker’s 58 saw Selby.

Divoyd Smith’s 98 ensured a win for York RI at Westow, while M Reynolds’ 78 for Ben Johnson was not enough to deny Heworth a win as Joel Johnson (60) and Pete Fairburn (61) saw them home.

Division three leaders Melbourne beat Acomb by nine wickets, Malcolm Harrison taking 5-15 and Oliver Steels scoring 66.

Stillingfleet overcame South Cave with Chris Gill taking 5-78 and scoring 57.

Third-placed Hemingbrough II beat Stamford Bridge, with Ben Lister scoring a maiden century and taking 3-10.

R Horsham hit 140 and D Reardon 83 as Stockton & Hopgrove II beat Burn by 165 runs.

Press performance of the week

Matt Durkin – the Stockton & Hopgrove player followed up his bowling figures of 3-45 against Burn in division one by thrashing an unbeaten 173, leading his side to a seven-wicket win in the 34th over.