THE leadership of the Hunter York & District Senior League changed hands for the fifth week in a row.

This time Acomb took over at the summit after deposing former leaders Studley Royal in emphatic fashion at Galphay Road.

Despite taking seven wickets between them, neither Matthew Coad (3-45) nor James Clarkson (4-32) could dislodge Joe Dale who scored 75 of the visitors’ total of 180-9.

The home side were never in a position to challenge that total as both Dale (4-17) and Darcy O’Connor (4-16) collected four wickets each.

The hosts were dismissed for just 84 inside 29 overs, and defeat saw them lose not only the leadership of the table but also drop out of the promotion places.

James Anson followed in the footsteps of team-mate Nick Hardgrave to become the second Driffield Town bowler to take eight wickets in an innings this season.

Anson’s return of 8-37 came from an unbroken spell of 11.5 overs with the new ball as Hull Zingari were dismissed for just 70.

The visitors wasted little time chasing down their target, needing just 18 overs, with openers Alec Drury and Grant Halder both out after each making 28. The result moves Town back into the top two as they target an immediate return to the Premier League.

Another of the sides in the competition with top-flight experience climbed to third as Easingwold won by 73 runs at Folkton & Flixton with Zak Wilson turning in a fine individual performance.

The all-rounder shared partnerships of 49 with Ryan Waite (40) and 67 with Elliott Oates (39) before being dismissed for 72, then followed that effort with the opening two wickets of the home side's reply.

He was also on hand to pick up the last to fall, that of Jamie Nesfield who, batting at number 11, finished as top scorer with 36. There was also three wickets in the innings for visiting captain Stephen Piercy (3-22).

York went searching for their first win since the opening day of the season as they took on Beverley Town at Clifton Park.

But they had to be content with the lion's share of the points with the game ending as a draw, the visitors with six wickets down and still almost 100 runs adrift of the target.

Bevan Fawcett (98) narrowly missed out on becoming the third player from York to score a Premier Division hundred this season and there were also runs for Ben Robinson (36) and a half-century for Nick James (57) as the hosts reached 260-6.

Ben Fish top scored for the visitors with 37 as the game drifted to a close with neither side capable of forcing a positive conclusion.

Pickering’s third loss in their last four leaves them in the bottom two, the latest defeat coming in a low-scoring match on a tricky wicket at the Recreation Ground.

David Henstock (3-25) was the pick of a Sheriff Hutton Bridge attack which bowled out the hosts for 126.

However, the visitors did not have things all their own way and were forced to endure an uncomfortable passage to eventual victory – losing eight wickets along the way with five of them taken by Michael Brown (5-28)

Not for the first time this season Shaun Harland was in the runs, his unbeaten 84 helping guide Malton & Old Malton to a four-wicket victory at Whitkirk.

An equally valuable 43 from Matthew Turnbull allowed the visitors to reach their target of 200 with just ten balls to spare.

Earlier in the day, Adam Spaven (5-43) had picked up a five-wicket haul as the home side closed on 199-9 – a total which included contributions from both Sean Pickles (38) and Mark Murphy (44).