CRICKET: Leaders Stamford Bridge back on home turf after win at Clifton Alliance

Bridge continued their sterling start to the season last Saturday with a four-wicket victory against Clifton Alliance, who still gave the visitors an almighty scare by removing four wickets for just one run.

Openers Kyle Waite (39) and Jonny Rawsthorne (35) looked to have set them on the way to a comfortable victory with an opening stand of 80 in reply to the home side’s total of 162 all out.

It needed the cool heads of Simon Dwyer (34no) and captain Ryan Gibson to get them over the line, with three overs to spare, and open a four-point gap at the top of the table.

Earlier, James Keast (3-41) and Dave Chaplin (3-42) had each picked up three wickets for the visitors, Keast with the key wicket of Ian Mansfield who top scored for the hosts with 63.

The ousted Alliance face the short trip to near-neighbours York, who, last weekend, stumbled to an 82-run defeat against Castleford at Savile Park.

A 91-run partnership between Liam Hyde (56) and Brayden Clark (56) came before visiting captain Duncan Snell took four for 35, restricting the home side to 198-7.

Matthew Rees (3-30) picked up the key wicket of the York captain, the first of three wickets in an unbroken 10-over spell with the new ball, and by its conclusion the score was 73-5.

Only two visiting batsmen reached 20 and the loss of Jonathan Moxon to injury did nothing to aid their plight. David Wainwright and Edward Cole each took two wickets as the visitors were bowled out for the second week in a row this time inside 33 overs.

Second-placed Acomb host Castleford tomorrow after their 101-run victory over Woodhouse Grange last weekend.

Skipper James Finch was making his first appearance of the season for Grange - and things could hardly have gone worse.

William Wade’s excellent run of form continued as the opener passed 50 for the fourth time in five matches, his 68 alongside 40 from fellow opener and captain Matthew Dale giving the hosts a perfect platform. However, three wickets from Josh Jackson (3-31) applied the brakes to the home side, who finished their 40 overs on 184-8.

Chris Bilton, who has been standing in for Finch, scored 31 but was unable to prevent a collapse as the visitors went from 45-1 to 83 all out.

Chris Aplin finished with figures of 4-14 and James Tindall 4-10 as Grange recorded the competition’s lowest total of the season. The result saw Acomb climb up to their current lofty standing.

Third-placed Sheriff Hutton Bridge are hoping for a reversal in fortunes when they host second-from-bottom Harrogate following their five-wicket defeat at Dunnington last Saturday.

After losing their opening two matches, Dunnington have now won three in a row, the latest success coming in the high-scoring, nerve-shredding contest against Bridge.

Jonathan Anderson struck twice early on for the home side before Adam Fisher (112) and Tommy Hudson (43) put on 144 for the third wicket.

The Bridge skipper became the sixth batsman to score a century in this year’s competition, and a further 54 added alongside Roberts Stevens (30no) left the hosts chasing a victory target of 224.

Andrew Bilton (46) and Adam Sutcliffe (56) gave them the prefect platform with an opening stand of 100, then a run-a-ball 37 from Ashley Watson and an unbeaten 32 from George Drury secured the win with just six balls to spare.

Harrogate, meanwhile, head into the fixture off the back of their first win of the season, a 74-run victory over Driffield Town, thanks in no small part to skipper Harry Stothard’s 72-ball century at St George’s Road.

The captain shared a stand of 77 with Corrie Keable (32), then dominated an unbroken one of 90 from 51 balls alongside Tom Smallwood (19no).

Jordan Caley (3-44) picked up three wickets but crucially was unable to dislodge Stothard, whose side reached 247-5.

Openers Alec Drury (51) and Noah Kelly (33) put on 71 for the opening wicket of the visitors’ reply but, with the required rate climbing, Henry Thompson (3-30) picked up three wickets.

When Mark Goddard (30) was last out, it was perhaps fitting that it was Stothard himself who claimed the final wicket to seal the victory which meant the two sides swapped places at the foot of the table.

With only four weeks of the season remaining in Hunters York & District Senior Cricket League, it promises to be an enthralling climax right across the top tier with all three divisions still wide open.

In the north division there is now a four-way tie at the top after Easingwold suffered their first defeat of the season, losing at home to Harrogate by seven wickets.

Alfie Weaver (4-25) took four wickets as the home side struggled to make much headway having chosen to bat. George Hampson took five catches in the innings, the last of which was top-scorer Paul Skilbeck (29) as the hosts closed on 151-9.

Teenage openers George Horbury (53) and Sanjay Mani (31) got the visitors’ reply off to a solid start and skipper William Bates saw the side home with an unbeaten 40.

Sessay take over at the top of the standings after they thrashed Thirsk by 271 runs.

Matthew Till (107) and Joseph Watson (116) both hit centuries for the hosts, the pair sharing a second-wicket partnership worth 188, effectively putting the game out of reach. Tom Spence (3-99) picked up three wickets including both Watson and Tim Hall, who contributed 31 to a final total of 365-6.

The visitors soon found themselves 16-4 - a situation from which they were never able to recover. Dan Magee made a battling 37 before the side were bowled out for 94, Watson taking 3-13 to go with his earlier century.

Knaresborough made it four wins from five as they beat Pannal at Aspin Lane by five wickets.

David Girling (59) and Toby Giddings (52no) both struck half-centuries, and added 109 for the fifth wicket, as the hosts chased down a target of 181.

Rob Smith (3-35) picked up three wickets including both Girling and opener Greg Pickles who made 41, but the home side still won with six overs to spare.

Earlier, Smith had made 35 and Fergus Henry 32 in an innings that was built around Carl Wilson’s unbeaten 72.

A century from Rob Pinder (100) ensured Malton & Old Malton kept pace with the sides at the top with a 43-run victory at home to Studley Royal.

The hosts’ total of 270-6 also included useful contributions from Michael Linsley (39) and Jack Pinder (32). Andy Newcombe top scored with 71 for the visitors. Both Oliver Simenacz (44) and Dan Coad (40) scored forties but in the end they fell short, losing for the third week in a row.

In contrast, Sheriff Hutton Bridge have now won three in a row, Nadeem Shefta was the star of the show at Moor Farm taking five for 20 as the hosts successfully defended a total of 166-5 against Sessay II.

Bridge had been 56-4 but David Coverdale (32) and an unbroken stand of 62 for the sixth wicket between David Hull and Will Warren, who both finished 39 not out, rescued the innings.

Shefta’s opening spell helped reduce the visitors to 27-6 and, despite 43 from Tom Sowerby, there was no way back and they were eventually bowled out for 120.

Home advantage certainly told in the west division this week, with all five matches going the way of the hosts. The top three all won again to maintain their 100 per cent records, meaning the final few weeks will see some decisive contests.

Goole openers Oscar Sugden (72) and Ben Shelton (73) smashed 134 for the opening wicket as Town chased down a rain-revised target of 170 to beat Clifton Alliance, needing just 24 of the 36 overs available to them.

An earlier half-century from David Taylor (60) and 43 from Ryan Partington had helped the visitors reach 188-5 as they went in search of a first win.

Carlton Towers came through a high-scoring contest against Thorp Arch & Boston Spa in which a batsman from both sides made a century.

Visiting captain George Gibson’s (101) came first as he shared stands of 98 for the third wicket and 95 for the fourth with Michael Cole (51) and Oliver Riley (42) respectively.

Nicky Holah picked up the wickets of Gibson and Riley and added a third to finish with 3-30 from a total of 234-6.

Tom Collins already had four half-centuries this season as he went out to bat for the fifth time and now the Carlton opener has a century too. His unbeaten 131, the highest score across the leading divisions so far, provided the basis for victory, although Toby Wells (3-60) and Joe Atkinson (3-42) made sure the hosts had to work for their win.

It was a similar story at Bolton Percy where Heworth all-rounder Guy Wilkinson (3-54) threatened to undermine the home side’s perfect record, picking up the first three wickets to fall but not before Jacob Green (45) and Jamie Rigby (59) had put on 111 for the opening wicket.

Ed Noble (53) also made a half-century in a total of 248-9, which might have been considerably more had it not been for Daniel Toon, who finished with 5-44. Wilkinson’s 85 off 65 balls kept the contest alive deep into the visitors’ innings but they ultimately came up just short, losing by 26 runs.

An unbeaten 66 from stand-in captain Alex Collins secured York a third consecutive victory, this one coming with five wickets and four overs to spare against a determined Osbaldwick side.

Opener Matt Dunne top scored for the visitors with 34 in a total of 149 all out, the wickets shared among five bowlers with Ted Patmore the pick, taking 3-24.

The home side struggled early on but two stands of 40 between both Iain Jarvis and Elliott Watson and their captain allowed the home side to continue their winning run.

Whitkirk proved too strong for a still winless Dringhouses, whose latest defeat by 66 runs came despite Paul Milner finishing as top scorer in the match with 68.

Sean Pickles (36), Matthew Webb (38) and Mark Murphy (60) all contributed to the hosts’ total of 224-7 which featured three wickets from teenager Max Thomas (3-37).

George Wilson chipped in with 28 alongside Milner’s effort for the visitors but three top-order wickets from Josh Thompson (3-24) had left the rest of the line-up with too much to do, and they were eventually bowled out for 158.