By Kevin Hutchinson

BEVERLEY Town are the York & District Senior Cricket League premier division champions for 2021, clinching the title with a 141-run victory at home to Welton.

Gregory Whyley (94) shared a 77-run seventh-wicket partnership with his skipper Jamie Roe (36 not out) as the home side reached 264-7, Luke Hills taking 3-44.

The visitors looked to have made a confident start through Matthew Wilkinson (30) but then lost five wickets for 10 runs, Matthew Mudd (4-53) with four of them.

Daniel Gittings (38) was able to arrest the collapse but could not prevent the side being bowled out for 123, Joey Franklin (3-16) wrapping up a victory which will sees Beverley make a return to Yorkshire Premier League North at the first attempt.

They will be joined in the top tier by Sessay despite them suffering a final-day defeat. Studley Royal, one of three relegated sides, pulled off a surprise victory, winning a low-scoring contest by just 15 runs.

Stephen Langstaff (5-37) took five wickets for the visitors as the home side were dismissed for 137 despite a half-century from opener Rob Nicholson (53).

Despite Matthew Coad’s 6-40 - which included the top four in the line-up - Liam Carver (37no) might have got his side over the line with more support in the latter stages.

Sessay’s defeat left the door ajar for Malton & Old Malton, who - had they won - would be looking forward to Premier League cricket for the first time. They missed their chance, losing to Hull Zingari by eight wickets thanks in part to a fine opening stand of 113 between Jack Storey (69no) and James Phillips (58) as the hosts chased down a target of 174.

Earlier, Robert Pinder (88) scored more than half the visitors’ final total and Callum Hellwig (4-36) enjoyed success with the ball, taking the first four wickets to fall. The result means Zingari finish the season as the form side, four wins from their last five helping them turn around a campaign the first half of which was spent in the relegation places.

Elliot Hatton (7-32) helped Folkton & Flixton to a 178-run win at Sheriff Hutton Bridge, which securing them third place.

Charlie Colley took 3-2 as the hosts were bowled out for 89, David Coverdale top scoring with 38.

That was in response to the visitors’ total of 267-6, which featured a 121-run stand between Will Hutchinson (71) and Jake Hatton (84) for the fourth wicket, Hutchinson then adding a further 68 with Max Harland (32). Matthew Bird finished with 4-60, including both Hutchinson and Hatton.

Mid-table rivals York and Whitkirk (187-3) met at Clifton Park where a pre-arranged 20-over contest turned out to be something of a slugfest, the sides combining to hit 33 fours and 19 sixes.

Whitkirk’s Tom Webb scored 80 from 45 balls, putting on 105 with Simon Webb (36) before the first wicket fell.

Charlie Elliot scored 38 at the start of the hosts’ reply before becoming one of Tom Webb’s 4-42. Despite a valiant unbeaten 78 from Duncan Snell, the visitors held on to win by four runs even as bowler Alfie Wilkinson was hit for three maximums in the final over.

Kieran Bowes (42 and 3-44) turned in a man-of-the-match performance for Pickering, finishing with as joint top scorer with Ryan Taylor in a 47-run win at Goole Town (161).

Thomas Marritt (5-52) restricted the visitors to 208, and after Bowes’ wickets, it took a 53-run partnership between William O’Donnell (33) and Ben Shelton (32) to keep their side in the contest. David Greenlay (3-36) captured the wickets of both.