Flixton, Staxton pull off the great escape
Brompton and Seamer & Irton were relegated from the CPH Scarborough Beckett Cricket League Premier Division on a thrilling final day of the season, with Folkton & Flixton 2nds and Staxton claiming wins to avoid the drop by the narrowest of margins.
Bridlington 2nds had already been relegated before the final round of matches, but heading into Saturday’s final programme of games there was only a few points between the four teams battling to avoid the two remaining relegation spots.
A crunch clash at Seamer &I rt on saw the hosts clashing with fellow strugglers Flixton 2nds, the latter edging home by four wickets to maintain their Premier Division status for another season.
The four-man Folkton & Flixton bowling attack all performed well to help dismiss the home team for just 105 in 36.4 overs, Archie Graham the top-scorer for Seam er with 23.
Rich Malthouse was the pick of the Flixton bowling attack with 3-25 in 10 overs, while teenager Calum Hatton grabbed 2-10, Chris Mann 2-8 and Jack Stephenson 2-37, Mat hew N es field also claiming a run-out.
Mitchell Fisher and Matty Morris then took a couple of wickets apiece to give Seamer hope of pulling off victory as Flixton made a shaky start at 17-3, but Hatton (20), Nesfield (37) and Stu Stocks (31no) steered Flixton to the win with 108-6 in 29.2 overs, a result which kept Flixton 2nds up – they finished only three points ahead of relegated B romp ton– but consigned Seam er& I rt on to Division One cricket next summer.
Staxton bowler Kingsley Gray took a superb 5-39 to help his side win by seven wickets at home to lowly Heslerton and secure the hosts’ place in the top flight.
Tom Pratt’s 2-10 and 2-20 by Dan Outhart helped Staxton dismiss the visitors for 112 in 36.4 overs, Adam Spaven hitting a defiant 36 and Harry Edwards 29.
Staxton then looked to be heading for their own batting collapse at 18-3 until an excellent fourth-wicket stand of 96 between David Morris and skipper Ryan Hargreaves steered them to the win that saved them from the drop.
Morris capped a brilliant season with 35 not out, while Hargreaves ended on an impressive 57 not out, and despite losing out H es le rt on also managed to stay clear of the drop zone by four points, Staxton ending up just one point ahead of third-from-bottom Brompton..
The latter dropped down despite winning their final match by four wickets at home to Scalby.
Kit McCrystal was the top B romp ton bowl er with figures of 3-29 in 6.5 overs, while Tom Pateman, Neil Fletcher and Ben Jarvis all chipped in with two wickets each as the visitors were dismissed for 139 in 40.5 overs.
Opener Chris Malthouse struck 31 and Ben Luntley 30, but their efforts proved to be in vain as Scalby collapsed from 103-3.
Skipper, and opening bat, Tom Bruce top-scored with 42 and Pateman capped a great all-round display with 34 off just 23 balls, as Brompton made it to a winning 143-6 in 23.3 overs despite an excellent spell of bowling from Gregor Fraser, who finished with 4-36 in eight overs, Lachlan Cooke bagging 2-22.
Skipper Alex Machin struck a stunning unbeaten 101 in just 72 balls as his Ebb er st on team claimed the runners-up spot despite finishing their season with a three-run loss at home to Staithes.
The visitors made a solid start to their innings as Brad Lewis and Callum Horne shared an opening stand of 38, and the dismissal of the latter for 19 saw Josh Bowes (19) puttingon 52 for the second wicket with Lewis.
Simon Bow es then stepped to the crease and struck 28 as part of a 76-run third-wicket partnership with fellow allrounder Lewis, who hammered a brilliant 88.
The home bowling attack then wrestled back control of the game, reducing Staithes from 166-2 to 194-7 from their 45 overs, Thomas Horsley snapping up 3-31 in eight overs and Jim Boyes 2-22 in nine overs, skipper Ben Hoggarth adding what proved to be a crucial 20 down the order.
Ebberston looked to be heading for a heavy defeat at 89-6, but Machin’s cracking century, which included six sixes and eight fours, along with support from Jake Finnegan (24) and Tom Noble (17), kept the hosts in the match, although they ultimately felt agonisingly short on 191-8.
Lewis then capped a great all-round final match of a superb individual season with 2-34, Dan Belsham scooping 2-32 and Richard Horne 2-65. Simon and Josh Bowes also took a wicket apiece for Staithes.
Champions Mulgrave capped a stunning season with their 21 st win in 22 league games to end up a staggering 104 runs clear of their nearest rivals in the league standings, easing to an eight-wicket triumph at home to basement club Bridlington 2nds.
Opening bowlers Craig Thompson (3-11) and Jos Storr (2-23) ensured that Bridlington 2nds never got going with the bat, as they slipped to 38-5. Number nine bat Andy Smith played a captain’s role with a plucky 27 but Liam Connop’s 3-9 saw them dismissed for 120.
Chris Knight’s amazing season was capped with a powerful 74no in just 45 balls to sea law in for Mulgrave, fellowopener Con no padding 21.
File ye nd ed their season on a high with a six-wicket win at home to Cayton.
Josh Dawson was the star Filey bowler with a brilliant spell of 5-25 in eight overs, David Brannan bagging 3-40.
Corey Towell’s 39 and Tom Sixsmith’s 33 helped Cayton post 166 all out in 29.1 overs.
Towell and Connor Davidson took two wickets apiece to keep Cayton in the match, but opener Nathan Rob son’ s 56 not out steered Filey to 169-4 from 30.3 overs. Craig Sanderson (36) and Aaron Howard (31) also shone for Filey.