Thorpe Willoughby won the Horwath Pulleyn Heselton York Vale Cricket League Prendergast Memorial Trophy final by nine runs after being put into bat by Wheldrake at Hemingbrough.

Dennis Powell and G Turner batted carefully reaching 42 before both were dismissed in successive balls.

Turner, the first to go when bowled by Brendan Walsh for 17, was followed next ball by Powell for 22 who was caught behind of the bowling of Peter Kilkenny.

Alan Wilson, Steve Craven and Dave Watson soon followed leaving Thorpe 92-5 from 30 overs. Brendan McQue, using a runner for the latter part of his innings, and John Holmes attacked the bowling in style, putting on 74 in the final ten overs.

McQue reached his 50 from the last ball and Holmes struck 21 as Wheldrake wilted in the heat.

Wheldrake in pursuit of the 165 needed to win, soon lost opener Peter Smye taken at square leg by Watson from the bowling of Martin Holmes.

David Walsh and Nigel Ashton moved the score along to 31 before Walsh was caught off a mis-timed hook by Barry Pickles.

Wheldrake were similarly placed to Thorpe at 97-5 with Ashton and skipper Harry Codling going well.

Neil Copsey induced the first false stroke from Ashton, who was out for 51 with the score at 143.

Shortly after, John Holmes bowled Codling, whose 41 had taken them to the brink.

But with another wicket falling next ball Thorpe were well in charge.

Walsh keept it very tight at the end as the Wheldrake innings closed at 155-9 leaving Thorpe winners.

The Prendergast Memorial Trophy was presented to Thorpe skipper Alan Wilson by Frank Stones, chairman of the Horwath Pulleyn Heselton York Vale League.

Local Cricket: re-writing the league record books

The calculators were out this week as Yorkshire League cricketers took stock of their batting and bowling averages ahead of their last games of the season tomorrow.

One thing is clear, if you want to win the league or finish in the top four it is imperative that clubs find a bowler who can take 60 or 70 wickets in a season.

Champions Doncaster had the services of a Pakistani pace bowler, Shaddab Ahmed, who was called up in the State side last week and prevented from going after Lesroy Weekes' bowling record of 88 wickets in a season - Ahmed had taken 70 wickets.

Ahead of tomorrow's last game of the season, Harrogate's Australian import Jamie Stewart is claiming to have broken Weekes' record, his fifth wicket against Castleford being his 89th.

Scarborough's Brad Wigney has taken 74 wickets at an average of 12.77 despite missing three games. The other good news for Scarborough supporters is that Wigney intends to return to North Marine Road next summer.

York, who finished third last season with a major contribution from Australian all-rounder Ray Atkinson, have not done as well this time round after being given backword at the start of the season by their new overseas player.

Harrogate's skipper John Proud stakes a claim this week to being the first batsman ever to have scored 1,000 runs in both the Yorkshire League and the Bradford League.

He thought that Des Wyrill might have been there before him, but the multi-club all-rounder Wyrill confirmed that he 'only' scored 950 runs in the Bradford League.

He did score 1,061 while with York in 1978 when clubs played 24 games of 92 overs, unlike the present day 26 games consisting of 120 overs.

That was Ken Skilbeck's contention when his 1975 record of 84 wickets was taken when York played 24 games and Lesroy Weekes' record came in 26 matches.

York, who are finishing up around ninth in the league this time, will be looking to their youngsters to score more runs and take more wickets next year if the club is to improve its final league placing.

Simon Mason has scored 674 runs at a highly commendable average of 41.12 in 21 games, his highest score being 103no at Headingley last week.

Another up and coming York youngster, Rob Lancaster, bowled 130 overs taking 17 wickets at an average of 26.88.

Injuries have taken their toll on skipper Ian Dews who has scored 435 runs in 18 innings at an average of 29.

Dews also took 45 wickets at 22.23 with Greg How weighing in with 38 at 21.44.

Scarborough's Mark Cowell enters the weekend against Cleethorpes with 843 runs under his belt at an average of 50. Another youngster, left hander Ian Philliskirk, has 599 runs to his credit at an average of 26.

Chris Clifford, now 57, needs just five wickets against Cleethorpes tomorrow to match his skipper Nick Tubbs' early season demand that his off-spin specialist could match his age with wickets taken. His 52 wickets have come at 16.92.

Scarborough are unchanged for their last match of the season at home to Cleethorpes, while Harrogate are without Simon Kippax against their visitors, Driffield.

A much changed York team travels to Appleby-Frodingham, although Julian Ramsey and Shaun Gorman return to the York side.

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