YORK Cricket Club had mixed fortunes over the weekend with a comfortable victory at Scarborough but an equally decisive defeat at the hands of Sheffield Collegiate.

Their visit to the seaside earned them a six-wicket Yorkshire Premier League victory thanks to an outstanding seven-wicket haul from Nick Kay, who halted a useful start by Luke Gunnah and Darren Harland.

Wicketkeeper Nigel Durham also got in to the act with five victims. Smart fielding gained two run outs and Mark Bell had the satisfaction of snaring fellow leg spinner Mark Lawson, the Yorkshire county bowler.

Michael Sheedy set the tone for York's reply before Simon Mason blistered the Scarborough attack with 18 boundaries taking him to the brink of a century off only 85 balls to secure victory with 16 overs remaining.

Yesterday's visit to Abbeydale Park was a case of taking one's own medicine.

Home openers Nick Gaywood and Richard Kettleborough tore in to the York attack and posted a 160 parnership in 30 overs before Nick Kay again did the trick by bowling Gaywood.

He also claimed Kettleborough, but not before the former Yorkshire and Middlesex player passed the century mark. York maintained a reasonable grip on the rest of the innings but had to face a total of 296 to maintain their victory run.

Without Mason, on Minor Counties duty, it was always going to be a difficult task. Sheedy and Marcus Wood had useful knocks but it required a fine rearguard from Bell and Tom Bartram, with the latter confirming the promise he has been showing on several occasions this season, to save the match.

York managed to hold on with nine wickets down but didn't score enough runs to pass the minimum 70 per cent mark required to earn a point.

York's nearest rivals Harrogate beat Hull by eight wickets on Saturday and also won at Doncaster yesterday.

Updated: 10:06 Monday, July 18, 2005