Monday 30th August

1st Team

Woodhouse Grange (27) drew with Clifton Alliance (4)
Woodhouse Grange 216-3 (N Hadfield 115no, M Burdett 74)
Clifton Alliance 128-8 (A Slater 28, J Murphy 3-37, T Quinn 3-17)

2nd Team

Clifton Alliance II (20) drew with Folkton & Flixton (27)
Folkton & Flixton 202 (N Zakrzewski 53, B Elvidge 71, R Malthouse 46, S Mottershead 5-71)
Clifton Alliance II 201-9 (A Parkinson 68, S Corley 55no, B Elvidge 6-63)

Jonny won the toss and a 'weekend damaged' Tim Weaver opened with John Thornton at t'other end. Folkton & Flixton's openers were in no difficulty and reached 50 in the 13th over, and 100 in the 27th despite 2 maidens from Sam Mottershead when he took over from Tim.

Eventually Nick Zakrzewski gave a catch to Jonny to go for 55 (120-1) but Ben Elvidge, joined by Rich Malthouse, was untroubled. At two-thirds they were 127-1; the 150 came up in the 38th iver then things went manic. Elvidge was stumped for 71; Hill, the number 4, was the first of three run-outs and the last 8 wickets fell for 23 runs. Sam ended with 5-71 and Rhys Crowe 2-55.

Our openers were less successful. John Myers went in the first over and Mark Taylor in the 4th (9-2). Parky joined Josh and played his innings of the season of 68 (including 11 4s) before going at 114 (Josh had gone at 76). 

Matt Phillips came and went and Tim emerged at 6 to keep Sid company and added 25 (147-6). Thorno came next and lasted 12 balls (6 x 4) for 24. Sid continued unconcerned but Jonny & Ryhs went in a 3-wicket maiden to reduce us to 181-9.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Ex-opener Sam Mottershead showed no nerves and the score crept on. The final additional over began with is needing 6 to win; 4 was reuired off the last ball but we only got 2. Maximum draw points. Sid ending with 55 not out. 

Addendum:
Notable was the fact that our 10th wicket partners, Sid & Sam opened the batting at Pickering earlier in the season. Your writer never thought we would lose this game but was relieved that our divisional survival was no longer at stake.


Saturday 28th August

1st Team

Clifton Alliance (17) drew with Acomb (26)
Acomb 198-6 (A D Tute 34, S Nicholls 53, J Burton 28, F R Sykes 32no, A Renton 3-78)
Clifton Alliance 193-9 (A Slater 36, J Gilham 55, A D Tute 7-85)

2nd Team

Ripon (2) lost to Clifton Alliance II (30) by 7 wickets
Ripon 119-9 (P J Squires 63, J Thornton 4-22, R Crowe 3-36)
Clifton Alliance II 120-3 (J Harrison 40no, A Parkinson 25)

Ripon were invited to and our bowlers immediately got on top with 4 maidens including a wicket to Tim Weaver. John Thornton at the other end had to wait until his 4th over for a wicket (lbw) but soon took 3 more to reduce Ripon to 31-5 (John 4-6 from 9 overs).

Veteran Peter Squires was then joined by wicketkeeper Paul Soreby and doubled the score before Soreby was bowled by Rhys Crowe in his first over. From the 33rd over we had dual spin and some difficulty in splitting the 7th wicket pair but there was no great acceleration  and finally at 102 Rhys broke through. With the overs almost elapsed Peter Squires was caught for 63 to give Rhys his third wicket and the last over was played out as a maiden to give a final score of 119-9.

John Myers and Nick Hindle opened our reply and after Nick went quickly John rattled up 24 off 29 balls (35-2). Josh Harrison was joined by andy Parkinson for the first 50 partnership of the game. Andy went to a good caught & bowled but Sid Corley (20*), beginning with 10 in his first 3 balls, saw us home.

Addendum:
This win, our third in a row, ensured Division 1 cricket for 2011 and we moved up 2 places in the table.


3rd Team

North Cave 137-8 lost to Clifton Alliance 140-6 by 4 wickets



Saturday 21st August

1st Team

Clifton Alliance (17) drew with Stamford Bridge (27)
Stamford Bridge 231-5 (D Hagan 76, D Bradshaw 99no, A Renton 3-84)
Clifton Alliance 215-9 (J Gilham 98, J Myers 24, G Tipping 3-43, D Chaplin 3-46)

Stamford Bridge set off at a cracking pace against the bowling of James Postill and Rich Carroll and were undisturbed with the introduction of Alex Renton. C.A.C.C. thought they had a wicket at 70 but the square leg umpire ruled the ball hadn't carried to slip. Danny White's first over was greeted with a six by Dave Bradshaw to complete his 50. The 100 came up in the 24th over and drinks were taken at 100-0 after 25 overs.

Fellow opener Danny Hagan completed his 50 at 119-9 in the 28th over - the 150 in the 35th as Rich was brought back. Although a catch was dropped, presure was maintained on the batsmen and the first wicket finally fell at 175 in the 40th over (Hagan for 76). A second wicket fell with only one added but Bridge stabilised their innings and reached 200 in the 45th over without further loss. The third wicket fell at 209 (caught & bowled 'Renko'); the fourth at 220 and a catch off the last ball left Bradshaw on 99 not out.

C.A.C.C. also started quickly but Sean Holmes had to retire ill with te score at 32 in the fifth over. 'Slats' went in the next over, 33-1, but the 50 arrived in the 11th over. John Myers was taken by a brilliant catch on the boundary for 24 at 84-2. The 100 went up in the 21st over; drinks were taken at 117-2. Jason was caught on the boundary for 17 (118-3). Sean returned and was out for 15 (125-4) and the 150 came up in the 32nd over. Ali was next to go for 12 at 169 - followed by James for 2 (176-6). Wally went for 6 at 184-7; Alex went for 9. 210-8. John Gilham was run out 98 (211-9) leaving Danny and Rich to bat out four overs for the draw.

2nd Team

Hornsea (2) lost to Clifton Alliance II (30) by 7 wickets
Hornsea 112 (B Wallis 35, A Kirk 29, J Thornton 5-51, R Crowe 4-20)
Clifton Alliance II 116-3 (S Corley 61no)

The long trip to Hornsea was followed by the welcome news that Jonny had won the toss and we would bowl first. The opening 7 overs saw Hornsea reach 12-0 before John Thornton took two wickets in successive balls, one caught by Jon Bladen and one LBW.  Tim Weaver joined in with another LBW, before John took three wickets in two overs, thanks to some excellent swing bowling, with the ball moving considerably off the pitch. This reduced Hornsea to 28-6 and the game was over as a contest by 2pm. 

A rearguard action by their opener and no.8 batsmen saw Hornsea to 74 before the next wicket fell, and a few blows from their no.9 saw the into three figures before Rhys Crows closed out the innings at 112, with Rhys finishing with 4-20 and John with 5-51 (which was 5-12 after 7 overs).

Simon Cook was pressed into opening and was soon out, but Josh Harrison and Sid Corley then put on an excellent stand of 68,  Josh rode his luck at times against a ball that continued to swing, while Sid made the most of an 8-1 field with several shots through a vacant mid-on, as he adopted the John Myers school of running (hit fours so you don't need to run). Josh was eventually LBW for 22, but Sid completed a well deserved 50, and finished on an unbeaten 61, off only 75 balls including 13 boundaries. Andy Parkinson hit four boundaries in his 18, before he was out with only 5 required, leaving Rich Marshall to hit the winning runs with almost 25 overs still to play.

The long journey back to York was certainly made worthwhile by this excellent performance, which should help to secure 1st division cricket for another season.

3rd Team

Heminbrough lost to Clifton Alliance III by 19 runs
Clifton Alliance III 159-8 (A Lloyd 79no, M Jackson 27, T Collins 3-38)
Hemingbrough 140 all out (M Clark 77, D Friend 4-42, A Barton 3-9)

Firstly, I feel obliged to apologise for the absence of the third team report over recent weeks. This has been due to a brief sojourn in the 2nd Team retirement home.

I feel it necessary to report on yesterday's events away to table-topping Hemingbrough, mainly because we won.

Minus Captain Cook, who was promoted to opening the 2nd team batting as a pinch-hitter, Clifton won the toss and opted to bat.

Wickets fell at regular intervals, however Alisatair Lloyd remained at the crease from the 10th over onwards and took the game to the home attack. Displaying a steely determination and playing a wide array of strokes either side of the wicket, Lloyd's unbeaten 79 saw Clifton post 159-8 from their 40 overs.

The teams enjoyed a hearty tea, some players enjoyed it a little too much, as Clifton's opening bowler Dave Friend soiled himself as the players took to the field. Not to be put off by this setback, he cut a swathe through the Hemingbrough top order, leaving them reeling at 26-4.

Clifton's efforts were hampered when Rob Thorpe pulled a hamstring while leading the team on a warm up routine, however he was to play a vital role while fielding at first slip. First, he caught a catch off the bowling of Captain Allan Barton, which triggered a mini-collapse. Next, he took another catch off the bowling of Maddy, to claim the prize scalp of 'Brough captain Clarke. There seemed to be some doubt as to whether he had held the chance, however the decision was given as 'keeper Eland loomed menacingly in the background.

Maddy removed batsman number 10's off-stump, and Barton delivered the coup de grace, having the last man caught behind to see Clifton home by 19 runs

Once the Clifton eleven had got over the stench of soiled whites and debatable catches, they took to the bar and celebrated the victory.


Saturday 14th August

1st Team

Easingwold (7) lost to Clifton Alliance (30) by 43 runs
Clifton Alliance 172 (S Holmes 38, J Postill 55, P A Skilbeck 3-48, S Piercy 4-24)
Easingwold 129 (P Redshaw 24no, A Renton 4-32)

                               WIN DRAW BNS TOT
                   P  W  D  L PTS PTS  PTS
Clifton Alliance  17 11  4  2 330  51  44  425
Dunnington        17  7  7  3 210 100  65  375
Woodhouse Grange  17  7  5  5 210  77  69  356
Easingwold        17  6  8  3 180  94  77  351
Sessay            17  6  7  4 180  61  66  307
Fenner            17  5  8  4 150  67  76  293
Goole Town        17  5  5  7 150  64  73  287
Studley Royal     17  3  7  7  90  92  83  265
Stamford Bridge   17  4  6  7 120  74  70  264
Beverley Town     17  5  5  7 150  43  69  262
Acomb             17  4  7  6 120  31  78  229
Thirsk            17  2  5 10  60  27  76  163 



2nd Team

Clifton Alliance II (30) beat Sheriff Hutton Br. (5) by 5 wickets
Sheriff Hutton Br. 164 (P M Oldfield 58, P Scaling 43, T Weaver 3-57, R Crowe 3-24)
Clifton Alliance II 168-5 (A Parkinson 48, S Corley 32, R Marshall 28no, M Fisher 4-46)

An unfamiliar Clifton team took the field against SHB, including only three survivors from the previous played game, and five players whose combined 2nd team appearances must have been in single figures.  Jonny Stevens's first job was hence to introduce the players to each other, after which he lost the toss (some things rarely change), but surprisingly SHB chose to bat first. 

Tim Weaver (formerly of Geelong and Castleford) and John Thornton opened the bowling, and SHB got off to a bright start, before Andy Parkinson dismissed their opener with a direct hit from cover.  Rhys Crowe then continued the theme with a direct hit from mid-off to dismiss their No 3, before Tim finally took the first wicket to fall to a bowler, as SHB reached 103-3 at the half-way point.

Rhys Crowe - returning from the 1st XI -  then took over, with a miserly spell of 12 overs for 24 runs, and taking three wickets.  At the other end debutant Josh Harrison (formerly of Lewes Priory) bowled a mixed bag of 7 overs in trainers (his spikes are still in Sussex) including two wickets in an over.  Tim then returned to clean up the tail, as SHB subsided to 164 all out off 44.4 overs, with the last six wickets falling for only 24 runs.

Newcomers Josh Harrison and Nick Hindle (perhaps his fourth game now classes him as a veteran in this team) opened, and Josh's opening runs for the team was a 5, including a misunderstanding over a run, a near-run out and four overthrows (I only allowed four initially, as they then went to the wrong ends!).  However, they were both out cheaply, as was Julian Atkinson, as Clifton were reduced to 34-3.

Some consolidation was then required, and Andy Parkinson and Sid Corley proved just the men for the job of rebuilding the innings.  Andy took the lead, in an invaluable stand of 68, befoe he was out just two runs short of what would have been a well-deserved 50.  Sid then took over as senior partner, as he accelerated to 32 before holing out, to leave Clifton on 127-5.  The next batsman was Richard Marshall,and he belied his lack of match experience this season with a run-a-ball 28, to see us to victory with 5.3 overs of our extended innings remaining, while the skipper remained in control on an unbeaten 15 at the other end. 

Perhaps some of the regulars may struggle to get back into this winning team for next week!!

                              WIN DRAW BNS TOT
                   P  W  D  L PTS PTS  PTS
York II           17  8  7  2 240  74  54  368
Heworth           17 10  4  3 300  33  33  366
Pickering         17  7  6  4 210  74  72  356
Hornsea           17 10  2  5 300  16  35  351
Hull Zingari      17  7  5  5 210  44  59  313
Bridlington       17  7  3  7 210  41  58  309
Folkton & Flixton 17  4  7  6 120 100  86  306
Sheriff Hutton Br 17  5  8  4 150  55  73  278
Driffield II      17  6  3  8 180  20  72  272
Clifton Alliance  17  4  7  6 120  70  71  261
Londesborough Pk  17  3  6  8  90  44  89  223
Ripon             17  1  2 14  30  10  78  118


3rd Team

Clifton Alliance 112 lost to Burn 258-5 by 146 runs


Sunday 8th August

3rd Team

Clifton Alliance III lost to University of York Staff by 4 wickets
Clifton Alliance III 138 all out ( A Barton 27, R Thorpe 31, N Ahmad 3-30, S Sayed 3-21)
University of York Staff 139-6 (A Sadiq 75no, N Ahmad 25, D Friend 4-52)


Saturday 7th August

1st Team

Clifton Alliance (30) beat Beverley Town (1) by 8 wickets
Beverley Town 85-3 in 29.5 overs (J Fisher 33)
Clifton Alliance 89-2 in 11.2 overs (S Holmes 49no, J Gilham 23 no)

2nd Team

Bridlington (9) drew with Clifton Alliance II (9) - Match Abandoned (RSP - No play)


Sunday 31st July

1st Team

Thirsk (5) lost to Clifton Alliance (30) by 125 runs
Clifton Alliance 191 (J Gilham 60, A Wray 31, T Stead 4-37)
Thirsk 66 (R Carroll 5-20)


2nd Team

Clifton Alliance II (4) lost to Pickering (30) by 3 wickets
Clifton Alliance II 114 (M Taylor 41, M Phillips 28, D Greenlay 5-12)
Pickering 117-7 (C Frank 32, D White 5-44)

Matt Phillips lost the toss again (0 out of 4 for him) and Clifton batted first against Pickering.  John Myers failed to repeat his heroics of last week, as he fell for 6, followed immediately by Sid Corley for the first of the day's 7 LBWs.  After that Mark Taylor and Matt Phillips put on a brisk 63, before Matt also fell LBW for 28 off 26 balls.  Mark and Rob Thorpe soon followed him, as we slumped to 85-5.

Danny White made 16 before being run out, and put on 17 with debutant Matthew "Nozza" Knowles, but he was the only other player into double figures, as the Clifton innings subsided to 114 all out, in 37.2 overs, with the final four taking 10 overs, and Dave Greenlay finishing with 5-12. 

After another excellent tea, Danny White opened with out other debutant, Tim Weaver (late of Castleford), and both saw early success, as Castleford were reduced to 18-2, and then to 52-4, with two wickets to each bowler (including 3 more LBWs). 

However, defending such a low total was always going to be difficult,and it only needed one batsman to get going for the target to be within sight.  Colin Frank was this batsman, and he made 32 before being 5th out with the score on 81.  A further wicket from Danny gave us a brief glimmer of hope, before 16 in an over off Danny saw Pickering to the brink of victory.  A final wicket for Danny, to leave him with 5-44 off 18.4 overs, including 8 maidens, was little consolation, as Pickering edged to victory on 117-7, with over 21 of their available 58 overs to spare. 


3rd Team

Bishopthorpe 168-6 beat Clifton Alliance 140 by 28 runs


Saturday 24th July

1st Team

Goole Town (30) beat Clifton Alliance (7) by 9 runs
Goole Town 137 (N Foster 55, R Carroll 5-34, A Renton 3-25)

Clifton C.A.C.C., lacking pro Joel Hughes for the first time this season (he was ill but was due to miss this game) lost the toss but still found themselves fielding.

Aussie Ashley Hulme, possibly playing his last league game for Goole, opened but last week's hero Rich Carroll accounted for him caught at 16. The score slowly advanced to 27 from 12 overs when the second wicket fell, also a catch off Rich. Things only got worse for Goole when 2 wickets fell to Rich at 37 followed by 4 maidens. Possy finally picked up a wicket at 44 in the 21st over and Rich got his fifth. The catching throughout the day had been very impressive.

Goole reached 60 for 6 at the half-way point. The first bowling change came in the 28th over with Renko replacing Rich. Rhys entered the attack in the 31st over in hot sunshine. After an expensive first over he captured an LBW against Goole's main hope, opener Neil Foster who made 55 (92-7).

Goole settled for a careful approach in the remainder of the innings against the spinners and were finally all out on the first ball of the final over for 137. R Carroll 5-34, A Renton 3-25.

In reply we quickly lost Adam and your reporter was surprised to see Wally at number 3. However, after surviving two chances, he settled in and with Sean showing impressive form there was no indication of what was to come.

Sean dashed to 31 but played one attacking shot too many and the captain left his third ball which clipped his wicket to leave us 36-3. Jason looked as good as ever and he and Paul took us to 70 when second change Mark Spetch accounted for him and Ali Wray. Two runs later Wally succombed for 21 and Matt followed without troubling the scorers, 75-7. Oh! Possy and Renko took it to 92 before Pos dollied a catch then Rhys kept Renko company for 14 overs adding 30 before Renko was bowled for 34. Rhys went trying to win for 6 from 48 balls. 128 all out.
 
                              WIN DRAW BNS TOT
                   P  W  D  L PTS PTS  PTS
Clifton Alliance  14  8  4  2 240  51  44  335
Dunnington        14  6  6  2 180  95  52  327
Easingwold        14  5  7  2 150  89  63  302
Woodhouse Grange  14  5  4  5 150  59  61  270
Sessay            14  6  5  3 180  38  45  263
Studley Royal     14  3  6  5  90  82  70  242
Beverley Town     14  4  5  5 120  43  61  224
Goole Town        14  3  5  6  90  64  68  222
Fenner            14  3  7  4  90  49  67  206
Stamford Bridge   14  4  3  7 120  33  48  201
Acomb             14  4  5  5 120  21  57  198
Thirsk            14  2  5  7  60  27  62  149


2nd Team

Clifton Alliance II (30) beat Hull Zingari (5) by 9 wickets
Hull Zingari 259-6 (J Storey 93, N Biggs 43, A Hamson 33, J Berridge 51no, J Myers 4-71)
Clifton Alliance II 260-1 (J Myers 108, M Taylor 112no, N Hindle 24no) 

Clifton's home game with Hull Zingari started with another winning toss for Jonny Stevens (has his luck at last turned?), and Clifton bowling first. Danny White and John Thornton had no success in their opening spells, after which Jonny turned to Sam Mottershead and John Myers.  John took the opening wicket, caught behind, and Sam followed by bowling their captain, before taking one further wicket (well caught in the deep by Thorno).  The last 10 overs went for 96, in a flurry of boundaries as Zingari closed on 259, but John Myers did have more success, as he finished with four wickets, including their opener stumped for 93.  The total would have been at least 20 lower, but for our poorest outfielding performance for some time, with several let through to the boundary from various outfielders of all ages.

At tea we were second favourites against a side near the top of the league, and knew we needed to get off to a good start. John Myers and Mark Taylor opened with a rush of boundaries, as the 50 was brought up in only the 8th overs, and thereafter it looked to be a totally different performance, as John and Mark kept on going.  At the first drinks break (93-0 off 16 overs) John stopped for a fag on 62, while Mark had 26, while by the second drinks break (188-0 off 32 overs) John had reached 99 with Mark on 75.

The scoreboard soon ran out for both batsmen (the second scoreboard had never got started!), as they reached well-deserved centuries, and in the process removed Paul Atkinson from the 2nd XI 1st wicket partnership record, as they reached 232, before a tired John edged one behind for 108.  Thereafter Nick Hindle saw us to victory with a rapid 24, leaving Mark on an unbeaten 112, as we won with five overs to spare and 9 wickets in hand.

Hopefully, the result will go a long way to ensuring the two clubs meet next season.

    
               Mark Taylor                       The inimitable J S Myers
        on his way to 112 not out            celebrates his century


                        
                           A club record 1st wicket stand



                              WIN DRAW BNS TOT
                   P  W  D  L PTS PTS  PTS
York II           14  7  5  2 210  64  46  320
Pickering         14  6  5  3 180  69  60  309
Hull Zingari      14  7  4  3 210  39  42  291
Heworth           14  7  4  3 210  33  33  276
Hornsea           14  7  2  5 210  16  35  261
Driffield II      14  6  3  5 180  20  49  249
Bridlington       14  5  2  7 150  36  54  240
Folkton & Flixton 14  2  7  5  60 100  79  239
Sheriff Hutton Br 14  4  8  2 120  55  62  237
Clifton Alliance  14  3  6  5  90  65  63  218
Londesborough Pk  14  3  6  5  90  44  71  205
Ripon             14  0  2 12   0  10  69   79


3rd Team

Copmanthorpe beat Clifton Alliance III
Clifton Alliance 97 all out
Copmanthorpe 98

The line to the wilds of Copmanthorpe was poor so only sketchy details of Clifton's defeat are known.

Highlights seemed to have included an epic and fluent knock from Michael Jackson to help C.A.C.C. recover from 31-7... ill-advised shot selection from Dave Friend, deciding to leave a straight one... discovery that Maddy can bat... the uncovering of Simon Cook's vicious streak, resorting to beamers to dismiss batsmen... the less startling confirmation that Maddy can bowl... Oh!, and that Copmanthorpe isn't Lord's. 
 

Sunday 18th July

Clifton Alliance III beat Heworth III by 97 runs
Clifton Alliance III 214-7 ( J Bladen 57, A Lloyd 28, A Barton 44, R Thorpe 42)
Heworth III 117-9 ( S Yates 33, K Sconanki 21, M  Kotagiri 3-36, J Bean 3-37)

Clifton Alliance 3rds strolled to an easy win against bottom-of-the-table Heworth.

Once more Simon Cook shirked his responsibilities and it was left to Ali Barton (a.k.a. Victor Trumper, a.k.a. Farty Barty) to captain the side. He immediately failed in his first duty as he lost the toss and, surprisingly perhaps, Clifton were asked to bat first on the usual belting track and lightning outfield.

Jon Bladen and Will Roe got the innings off to a solid start against a youthful opening attack, gradually increasing the run-rate. Jon was first to go for 57, victim of a juggling catch at mid-wicket and Will fell soon afterwards for 20. Ali Lloyd played a typical cameo innings of 28 before Rob Thorpe joined the skipper to successfully keep the momentum going. Barton employed his trademark front-foot drives whilst Rob went for the more robust option. Unfortunately, they both perished just short of their half centuries just as they were looking forward to the final slog-fest. After that, the innings petered out with a final total of 214-7 possibly 20 or 30 runs shy of what it could have been.

As soon as Ali Lloyd had been prised away from the banquet laid before us at tea, Clifton were able to take their turn in the field.

Heworth were soon in trouble as both Rob and Maddy found some movement and made inroads into their top-order. With 5 wickets down, the game was as good as over as a contest but Heworth were keen to put up a stubborn defence and drag the innings out to the full 40 overs. Despite, Josh Bean (3-37) whittling out another 3 batsmen with his guile and flight and some disgraceful ungentlemanly behaviour by Clifton's inveterate vegetarian skipper, the full 30 point victory proved elusive as Heworth's last pair survived the last few overs.

Talk in the bar (excellently run by grumpy old git P.N. Thorpe) was of a job well done but that next week's trip to the less salubrious surrounds of Copmanthorpe may be a bit more taxing.

Saturday 17th July

1st Team

Clifton Alliance (30) beat Dunnington (2) by 7 wickets
Dunnington 107 (H Williams 24, A Renton 4-32, R Carroll 4-12)
Clifton Alliance 108-3 (S Holmes 45, J B M Gatus 34no)

In the game between the joint Premier League leaders, Gillers was back in form winning his 11th of 13 tosses.

Dunnington, put in of course, were restricted by excellently accurate bowling by Joel and Possy, beginning with 5 maidens. Collis King was the first to go caught behind off James and although no further wickets fell for some time the runs were only being eked out in singles. When Joel was replaced by Alex Renton he had bowled 11 overs for 13 runs. The 50 was reached with only 1 wicket down at less than 2 an over and when Dave Johnson holed out off Alex the total was still only 58 off 30 overs. James was finally rested with 1-32 from 16. A short spell from Rhys Crowe yielded a wicket with not the best ball of the day. Alex took further wickets and Rich Carroll had a clean bowled in his first over with the only ball not down the leg-side. However, he got his direction right in his next 2 overs finishing with 4-12. Alex finished it all with a caught & bowled for 4-32. Dunnington 107 all out from 47 overs.

In reply we quickly lost Adam but Joel joined Sean in adding 51 for the second wicket. Both fell but with 48 required the two JG's were together and wrapped it up in 8 overs. Jason finished 34 not out in 21 balls with John 14 not out and 28 overs spare.

A tremendous performance by all, 9 to go.

2nd Team

York II (27) drew with Clifton Alliance II (6)
York II 252-6 (J Wakett 91, D A Simpson 34, S Lambert 68, D White 3-120, S Motteshead 3-128)
Clifton Alliance II 140-9 (J Myers 29, N Hindle 36, J Stevens 29no, M Hodgson 3-15, M Mortimor 3-28)


A rare event greeted the start of Clifton's game at York, as Jonny Stevens, returning from suspension, won the toss and elected to bowl first.

Danny White and Sam Mottershead opened the bowling, and Sam took the first wicket, after which Danny had their star batsman Dave Simpson LBW.

However, that was their only success for some time, as York put on 127 for the third wicket against the toiling combination of Danny and Sam.  Some late wickets put a better gloss on the score, and won us three bowling points, as York closed on 252-6, with Danny finishing with 3-120 from an unbroken 24 over spell, while Sam finished with 3-128 from his 24 overs, while other possible bowlers, including Dave Friend, Andy Parkinson and last week's star John Myers remained unused.

In reply, Mark Taylor was soon out, after which John Myers and Nick Hindle (promoted after his starring performance for the 3rds last week) put on 53 run in only 13 overs,  John's departure for 29 started a collapse, with 5 wickets falling for only 15 runs, while Nick remained on 24 throughout,.  Nick eventually added another 12 before he fell, as we were reduced to 89-7.

Jonny Stevens, batting himself way down the order at No 9 then batted out for an undistinguished losing draw, as he made an unbeaten 29, while Sam Mottershead made 10 in 10 overs, Simon Cook 5 in 7 overs, and Dave Friend an unbeaten 2 in the final 8 overs, as Clifton escaped with an undistinguished losing draw.


Sunday 11th July

3rd Team

Clifton Alliance III beat Wheldrake by 96 runs
Clifton Alliance III 248-2 (W Roe 25, N Hindle 150no, A Barton 39no)
Wheldrake 152-8 (C Walker 69, M Fearn 34, D Friend 4-23)

Nick Hindle's brilliant unbeaten 150 propelled Clifton to a good home win against Wheldrake. Our resident statisticians also excitedly point out that this is the first ever century for the 3rd team in their 13 years of existence.

Saturday 10th July

1st Team

Fenner (14) drew with Clifton Alliance (26)
Clifton Alliance 210 (S Holmes 63, J Gilham 45, A Wray 26, D Rhodes 4-34, M Arundell 4-77)
Fenner 175-6 (P Shally 33, D Rhodes 34, S Sargeant 28, R Carroll 3-44)


2nd Team

Clifton Alliance II (4) lost to Heworth (30) by 7 wickets
Clifton Alliance II 169-9 (J Myers 41, A Parkinson 40, M Bell 4-60, T Forsdike 3-55)
Heworth 170-3 (J P Draper 34, I Lynch 82, J Leaning 30no)


Matt Phillips lost the toss (I don't know why we bother tossing - as we always lose it) and Heworth chose to field first on a hot day with a fast outfield. John Myers got us off to a good start, with 41, but Mark Taylor and Danny White both went cheaply, and Matt Phillips was out for 7, after landing us with a bill for a broken tile and a ball stuck in the clubhouse roof.

Andy Parkinson was the next substantial scorer, with 40 against his old club, but only Simon Cook, one of several players who have played more regularly in the 3rds, also reached 20, as wickets fell regularly - our highest partnership was only 27.  However, Mick Jackson and Neil Smith both remained unbeaten as at least we batted for our full 48 overs to reach 169-9.

The Heworth innings was a game of three halves.  For the first 30 overs Danny White was bowling from the tennis court end, and only conceded 8 runs in his first 13 overs, and 19 in all.  Meanwhile at the pavillion end Francis Hawthorne, Andy Parkinson and John Myers were each being hit hard by Ian Lynch, as he made 82 out of the 122 they put on for the first wicket (his partner made 34 in this time).

The 30th over resulted in a total change in the game, as John Myers got Draper LBW, immediately followed by Lynch falling to Jon Bladen (caught by Neil Smith) and another wicket for John Myers (stumped by Mick Jackson), to reduce Heworth to 129-3.  Thereafter the run-rate dropped considerably, as Heworth crawled to victory, eventually reaching the winning post with only two overs remaining, as John Myers (2-54 in 14.5 overs), and Jon Bladen (1-25 in eight overs) almost saw Clifton to an unlikely winning draw.

                 
                     John Myers (41)       Andy Parkinson (40)   
                  Plumb LBW (Again!)
       
                      
                                  Mark Bell (4-60)


Sunday 4th July

3rd Team

Clifton Alliance III lost to Barmby Moor by 7 wickets
Clifton Alliance III 137-9 (A Lloyd 34, S Cook 24, A Smith 5-24)
Barmby Moor 140-3 (B Shepardson 26, S Anderson 85, C Shipley 24, A Loyd 1-3)


Saturday 3rd July

1st Team

Clifton Alliance (30) beat Sessay (7) by 5 wickets
Sessay 203-7 (M Wilkie 48, J B Flintoff 27, C J Till 46, A Renton 4-61)
Clifton Alliance 206-5 (A Slater 47, J Hughes 82, J Gilham 38)

                              WIN DRAW BNS TOT
                   P  W  D  L PTS PTS  PTS
Clifton Alliance  11  7  3  1 210  33   29 272
Dunnington        11  5  5  1 150  77   41 268
Easingwold        11  4  5  2 120  56   48 224
Woodhouse Grange  11  5  2  4 150  23   39 212
Sessay            11  5  3  3 150  28   31 209
Goole Town        11  2  5  4  60  64   58 182
Studley Royal     11  2  5  4  60  64   55 179
Beverley Town     11  3  4  4  90  38   45 173
Stamford Bridge   11  3  3  5  90  33   38 161
Fenner            11  2  5  4  60  39   50 149
Acomb             11  2  5  4  60  21   51 132
Thirsk            11  2  3  6  60   7   38 105


2nd Team

Londesborough Park (14) drew with Clifton Alliance II (27)
Clifton Alliance II 240 (J Myers 72, M Taylor 33, M Phillips 38, A Parkinson 39, M Tissiman 5-72)
Londesborough Park 182-8 (J Williamson 33, N Stevenson 52, T Medley 28, S Mottereshead 3-37)

A long trek to the picturesque Londesborough Park ground (it's not many grounds where you can see Llamas grazing in the next field!) was followed by the familiar pattern of our captain (Matt Phillips replacing the suspended Jonny Stevens) losing the toss, and Clifton batting first.

John Myers and Mark Taylor once again got us off to a good start, adding 60 for the opening wicket in 14 overs, before Sid Corley (restored to the no 3 berth) continued the momentum with 21 - helped by two dropped catches.  

Skipper Matt joined John and they decided running was optional, as Matt hit four consecutive fours, and eight in all, in a brisk 38.  John continued with more of the same, before he was finally out for 72 (incluing 14 fours and a big six). Andy Parkinson was another to make running optional, with 7 fours in his 39 (slightly misleading as one was all-run thanks to two misfields). The innings folded quickly after that, but at least debutant Nick Hindle ensured we reached the last over before being all out for 240.

John Thornton and Danny White ensured a slow start for Londesborough, with three off the first five overs, and soon both had success, with the oppo reduced to 22-2. Thorno took a further wicket (a regulation catch by Nick Hindle) soon after, as he finished with 2-37 off 13 overs. 

A short spell from PC Hawthorne saw immediate success, with a caught and bowled, but he was soon replaced by Danny - changing ends to bowl 22 overs in all.  At the other end, Sam Mottershead kept their batsman quiet, and it was soon clear that they would get nowhere near the required total.  Eventually three wickets for Sam and another for Danny saw us reach 27 points, while a brief tail-end flurry saw them reach 182-8 at the close, and just reach the 75% draw mark, for a total of 14 points.

The result leaves us 10th, but with only 23 points covering 7th to 11th, there is still all to play for at the half-way point of the season.

                              WIN DRAW BNS TOT
                   P  W  D  L PTS PTS  PTS
Hull Zingari      11  6  4  1 180  39  34  253
York II           11  5  4  2 150  46  37  233
Hornsea           11  6  2  3 180  16  26  222
Pickering         11  4  4  3 120  51  51  222
Heworth           11  5  3  3 150  28  27  205
Bridlington       11  4  2  5 120  36  43  199
Driffield II      11  4  3  4 120  20  43  183
Londesborough Pk. 11  3  5  3  90  43  50  183
Sheriff Hutton Br 11  3  6  2  90  40  50  180
Clifton Alliance  11  2  5  4  60  64  54  178
Folkton & Flixton 11  2  4  5  60  46  54  160
Ripon             11  0  2  9   0  10  55   65


Monday 28th June

Under 9s

Acomb lost to Clifton Alliance by 72 runs

Clifton Alliance 371-6
   Dan Moll 32
   Jack Mayfield 31
   Josh Moore 20
   C Mackay 2-2-12
   J Rowe 2-1-17
   C Brookes 2-1-13

Acomb 245-10
   J Wallis 15
   C Brookes 24
   Jack Mayfield 2-3-2
   Jack Heartshorne 2-3-10
   Noah Kennedy 2-2-11
   Dan Moll 2-1-1

Sunday 27th June

1st Team - League Cup

Clifton Alliance lost to Woodhouse Grange by 67 runs
Woodhouse Grange: 241-5 (Nick Hadfield - 63, Chris Bilton - 64, Steve Burdett - 47 not out)
Clifton Alliance: 174 (32.3 overs) (David Suddaby 3-42, Tom Quinn 3-52)


   


Saturday 26th June

1st Team

Studley Royal (4) lost to Clifton Alliance (30) by 7 wickets
Studley Royal 156-9 (R Mackle 44, R Crowe 4-5)
Clifton Alliance 159-3 (S Holmes 67no, A Slater 60)

Another toss won by Gillers at a hot and sunny Studley Royal and yet again Clifton bowled first. This however seemed a more crucial toss to win as despite the recent hot dry weather the pitch at Studley was soft and wet due to an accident with the hosepipe system.  The Clifton opening bowlers took advantage of the helpful conditions by bowling very tight lines and restricting almost all run scoring opportunities (16 runs coming from the first 10 overs.) Pozzy and Joel took 1 wicket each to dismiss both openers cheaply.  It was then the turn of Renko and Rich to leave Studley at 55 for 4. These two continued to keep things tight as the home team middle-order set about recovering their innings with some watchful defence and “interesting” stroke play. (Rich used slightly different words to describe this partnership.) Despite struggling along Studley were able to keep wickets in hand through most of their innings until the introduction of Rhys, playing his first 1s game for the season. Having been brought on in the 45th over he proceeded to take 4 wickets in his first 12 balls followed by a maiden to finish with pretty good figures of 3-1-5-4. Well bowled.

In reply Clifton’s openers made light work of chasing down the 156 required with both Slats and Sean passing 50 in good time. Slats departed on 60 with 33 required and Joel and Gillers kindly allowed Jason (19no) to notch up another red inker as he and Sean (67no) remained unbeaten to guide us to a victory that, with some good results elsewhere, helped to stretch our lead at the top of the table.
 
                              WIN DRAW BNS TOT
                   P  W  D  L PTS PTS  PTS
Clifton Alliance  10  6  3  1 180  33  29  242
Dunnington        10  4  5  1 120  77  41  238
Woodhouse Grange  10  5  2  3 150  23  31  204
Sessay            10  5  3  2 150  28  24  202
Easingwold        10  4  4  2 120  38  40  198
Studley Royal     10  2  5  3  60  64  51  175
Goole Town        10  1  5  4  30  64  58  152
Beverley Town     10  2  4  4  60  38  45  143
Stamford Bridge   10  3  2  5  90  23  29  142
Acomb             10  2  5  3  60  21  44  125
Fenner            10  1  5  4  30  39  50  119
Thirsk            10  2  3  5  60   7  32   99

2nd Team
Clifton Alliance II (30) beat Driffield II (7) by 6 wickets
Driffield II 209-9 (M Clarkson 51, A Chapman 43, J Nessfield 29, D White 5-101)
Clifton Alliance II 211-4 (J Myers 102no, A Parkinson 33)

The seconds achieved an excellent and welcome win against Driffield who on a hot day won the toss (ed - as usual for this season) and chose to bat (ed - not as usual).

Your correspondent arrived a little late and missed excellent catches by Sid Corley and John Thornton and the removal of the ex-Beverley star Ollie Granthan by Danny White, as Driffield were reduced to 68-4.

Captain and opener M. Clarkson was harder to remove but scored at a very slow rate, finally being caught and bowled by the returning Sam Mottershead for 51 off 113 balls.  At the 40-over mark Driffield were 129-6, largely due to Danny's unbroken spell and Sam conceding only 8 runs off his first 7 overs.

However, their batsmen no 7 (A.Chapman 43 in 23 balls - following an excellent one-handed catch by Billy Thornton on the boundary - unfortunately only to save his car from a broken windscreen) and 8 (J.Nessfield 29 in 23) had other ideas, as Driffield added 80 in the final 8 overs.  However, our boys thought their final total of 209-9 was below par given the short boundary and fast outfield.  Danny finished with 5-101 from his 24 overs.

John Myers and Mark Taylor started our reply quickly, with John deciding running was an optional extra as his first 36 came in boundaries.  Each expensive over caused a bowling change.  Mark went LBW for 17 (44-1) and newcomer Julian Atkinson the same for 5.  Ali Wray maintained his recent fine form with 23 (125-3) and Andy Parkinson belied his recent injury in adding 74 for the fourth wicket, of which he made 33.  Danny White joined Myersy and after hitting a four blocked out to enable John to reach his century (102* in 129 balls with 16 fours) with the winning hit, as Clifton reached 211-4.

                              WIN DRAW BNS TOT
                   P  W  D  L PTS PTS  PTS
Hull Zingari      10  6  3  1 180  38  27  245
Pickering         10  4  4  2 120  51  43  214
York II           10  5  3  2 150  28  28  206
Hornsea           10  5  2  3 150  16  26  192
Heworth           10  4  3  3 120  28  27  175
Sheriff Hutton Br 10  3  6  1  90  40  43  173
Driffield II      10  4  2  4 120  15  35  170
Londesborough Pk  10  3  4  3  90  38  41  169
Bridlington       10  3  2  5  90  36  43  169
Clifton Alliance  10  2  4  4  60  46  45  151
Folkton & Flixton 10  2  3  5  60  28  45  133
Ripon             10  0  2  8   0  10  49   59


3rd Team

Clifton Alliance III lost to North Cave by 4 wickets
Clifton Alliance III 196-6 (J Bladen 28, W Roe 42, A Barton 54no)
North Cave 199-6 ( J Backhouse 30, J Ferguson 63, R Pace 25no J Bladen 4-39)

On a warm but breezy afternoon the 3s travelled to North Cave to play this "home" fixture, a pleasant ground new to many of the players. Skipper Simon Cook won the toss and rightly opted to bat.

The pitch proved "interesting" with the odd one going through the top but anything short just sitting up waiting to be hit to the boundary. The fast outfield also ensured batsmen got full value for their strokes. Clifton kept the score ticking along at a reasonable rate putting the many bad balls away. However, despite several batsmen getting in and North Cave seemingly wanting to give everyone a bowl, wickets were lost steadily throughout the innings, often succombing to the vagaries of the pitch.

Will Roe (42) held the early innings together and it was left to Allan Barton (54*) and Neil Smith (18*) to apply the final flourishes to ensure C.A.C.C. reached 196-6 at the close of the innings. It was difficult to know if that was a good score, it could have been more and it certainly could have been less.

After a (very) leisurely tea - never have I seen a man so at ease with life as Allan Barton with a mug of tea and a plate of cheese and crackers! - Clifton took to the field.

Maddy Kotagiri and Simon Cook opened the attack, Maddy in particular beat the bat regularly but the opening wicket was proving elusive. Jon Bladen replaced Simon and made the breakthrough but that only brought J Ferguson to the crease who thought, correctly as it turned out, that he could hit every ball a very long way. Jon eventually managed to bowl him with a quick, in-swinging yorker (aka a slow, straight one) but his rapid 63 had swung the game very much in North Cave's favour.

Clifton continued to nip out wickets and the required run-rate crept up to around 5. But, with Jon and Maddy having both bowled their allotted 12 overs, it proved impossible to stem the flow of runs and North Cave eased to victory with over 2 overs to spare. Jon (uphill and into the gale!) ended with 4-39 whilst Maddy's 0-41 didn't reflect the quality of his 2 spells.

Perhaps we could have scored more, perhaps we could have bowled better, perhaps we could have held more catches, perhaps we could have stopped some 2s and 4s in the field, perhaps, perhaps, perhaps...

Tuesday 22nd June

Under 9s

Clifton Alliance lost to Sheriff Hutton Bridge by 29 runs

Clifton Alliance 292-5
   Dan Moll 11
   Noah Kennedy 17
   Jack Heartshorne 15
   G McGill 2-3-2
   J Davidson 2-1-14
   T Gianini 2-1-14
  
Sheriff Hutton Bridge 321-2
   Browne 29
   McGill 30
   Jack Mayfield 2-1-9


Saturday 19th June

1st Team

Clifton Alliance (18) drew with Woodhouse Grange (27)
Woodhouse Grange 240-6 (J E Bean 74, A J Bilton 32, A Anderson 40, S Burdett 46no, R Carroll 3-52)
Clifton Alliance 238-8 (S Holmes 37, J Gilham 76, J B M Gatus 53)

On a cold and windy day at Clifton Gillers won the toss and elected to field. Woodhouse got off to a flying start taking 30 off the first 3 overs before the bowlers settled into a rhythm. Sadly they were not helped by the Clifton fielders who were poor all day and eventually cost about 40 runs on the final total. Woodhouse eventually reached 240, a good total although one that Clifton felt confident of knocking off. The main Woodhouse contribution being J. Bean with a knock of 74. Wickets were once again shared around with Rich and Poz returning the best figures.

The Clifton reply got off to a decent start before Slats got one that kept a bit low. Sean and Joel then put together a good partnership until a mix up left both players in the middle of the pitch as Sean was run out for 37. Shortly after Joel departed for 24 and at 92 for 3 Woodhouse looked favourites for the game. However not for the first time this season Gillers and Jase came together to smash the ball to all parts and put the game back in Clifton’s favour. Jason was unfortunately run out for 53 and then followed a steady stream of (sometimes disputable) wickets as both Pozzy and Renko saw tight umpiring calls go against them. However despite all this Clifton had still fought themselves into a winning position requiring 6 from the last 12 balls with 8 wickets down. 3 were taken off the penultimate over leaving 3 required from the final 6 balls. The next twist in the tale was the fact that regular opener Muzzy was on strike for the final over batting with only one arm (the top hand) due to an injury he had been struggling with since a surfing holiday a couple of weeks before. Unfortunately the Woodhouse boys recognized this and ensured they bowled as full and wide of off stump as possible leaving Muzzy unable to get the ball away. The last throw of the dice came with 2 balls remaining when Muzzy launched into a straight ball, only to hit it straight at Steve Burdett at short midwicket and see it roll harmlessly back to the bowler for another dot ball. The final ball was another full, wide delivery, and a dot ball that left all the Clifton boys gutted, but hungry for revenge later in the season.

2nd Team

Folkton & Flixton (30) beat Clifton Alliance II (4) by 9 wickets
Clifton Alliance II 183-9 (J Stevens 55, R Thorpe 35, D White 30, R Malthouses 3-11)
Folkton & Flixton 184-1 (N Elvidge 83no, B Elvidge 77no)

Jonny lost the toss and we batted first (I told you that was a standard comment - one toss won out of eight so far!!) on a cold and overcast day at Flixton.  John Myers was soon out, bringing the skipper in at number three, his sixth different batting position in his six innings so far.  After a brief break when the drizzle got harder for a few minutes Mark Taylor and Ali Wray departed to leave Clifton in trouble at 39-3. 

However, it was Jonny's innings, as he made 55, with support from Matt Phillips (19) and Danny White (30).  Two quick wickets then left the stage clear for Rob Thorpe, who hit three sixes into the adjacent graveyard in his 35, as Clifton closed on 183-9 off their 47 overs.  Extras continued their run of good scores with 27, although without controversy this week.

After a good but busy tea, with two games adjourning simultaneously, Flixton got off to a steady start against some accurate bowling from Danny White and Dave Friend, and Danny took the first wicket in the 13th over with the score on 30.

However, that was the sum total of our success, as father and son pair Ben and Neil Elvidge settled in - helped by an early dropped catch.  The run-rate also accelerated, and none of the six bowlers used could stop their flow.  Eventually they reached the required 184 with almost 9 overs remaining, with 108 coming off the last 13 overs.

This bad defeat leaves Clifton in 11th place in the table, and looking for improved performances from a stronger team (plus more success with the coin!) if we are to retain our position at this exalted level.

Wednesday 16th June

Under 11s

Ovington 'B' lost to Clifton Alliance by 102 runs

Clifton had a comfortable victory. Clifton batted consitently with Will Moll and Jake Atkinson top scorers. When Clifton bowled, Ben Husband was amongst the wickets and Joe Kilvington achieved the remarkable figures of 3 overs 3 maidens 6 wickets for 0 runs - including a hat-trick!

Saturday 12th June

1st Team

Acomb (6) lost to Clifton Alliance (30) by 6 wickets
Acomb 191-6 (A Tute 57 N Grant 40 A Green 30 R Carroll 3-27)
Clifton Alliance 193-4 (A Slater 71 J Hughes 65)

Clifton bowled first on a good looking track at Acomb. The hosts got off to a decent start before Joel took the first wicket with the score on 38. Rich then dismissed the number 3 before a good partnership between Tute and Grant edged the Acomb score along. Despite the 70 run partnership Acomb were struggling with their run rate as some tight bowling and a good all round fielding performance were limiting the scoring. Once these 2 batsmen were removed it was left to a few middle order contributions to get Acomb up to a total of 191 for 6 off of their 50 overs. All bowlers finished with decent figures with Rich Carroll’s 3-27 off 8 being the stand out.

In reply Clifton lost the early wicket of Holmes before a stand of 108 between Slats and Joel put the game in Clifton’s favour. Slats was eventually dismissed for 71 and Joel for 65 and it was left to Gillers and Poz to ensure the full points would be coming back to Clifton and that we could make it back in time to see the kick off.


2nd Team

Clifton Alliance II (26) drew with Ripon (13) 
Clifton Alliance II 278-7 (J Myers 68 S Corley 36 A Wray 74 J Davey 3-78)
Ripon 216-7 (A Banks 28 P Nel 28 N Harland 86no)

Jonny lost the toss and we batted first (maybe I should just include this as a standing line in my report, as it happens every week!) against the bottom side, and John Myers and Mark Taylor got us off to a bright start, including 12 from the first over.  Mark was out for 17 after an opening stand of 68, leaving Sid Corley to take over and make a bright 36, including 7 boundaries, in another stand of 68 with John.  Meanwhile John's running was gradually slowing down, and he finished off with Sid as runner.  However, his was a substantial innings of 68, including 10 fours and a six, and this put us in charge of the match.

The latter part of the innings was dominated by Alistair Wray, with 74 runs off only 55 balls, including 7 fours and 2 sixes, as we added 122 in the final 15 overs.  He was supported by 27 from Andy Parkinson, before some late wickets saw us finish on 278-7, after three hours and 15 minutes, the Ripon over-rate negating the benefits of an early start and meaning that we were unlikely to finish in time for the football.

PC Franny Hawthorne became our 7th opening bowler of the season as he partnered with Danny White, and he took the first two wickets to fall as Ripon were reduced to 27-2.

Danny took one wicket, before Rhys Crowe got in on the act, with one wicket from a sharp piece of stumping by Sid Corley and another catch in the deep from Matt Phillips - after the batsman was dropped by John Myers the previous ball.  This reduced Ripon to 84-5.

However, their No 5 batsman then took charge, making the most of the short legside boundary onto the floodbank, helped by some accommodating bowling, as four of our bowlers all went for at least 15 off an over.  Eventually, it was left to Franny to finish the bowling from the danger-end, as their runs dried up, while Andy Parkinson came on at the nets end and took two wickets in his first two overs, thanks to good catches from Franny and Dave Friend.  Their final total of 216-7 was well short in the end, but they had reached the 3/4 mark to ensure them of their highest points total of the season.

The match finally finished at 8.00pm as the Clifton players adjourned to watch the World Cup, while the Ripon players went home - presumably to their own delayed World Cup party.

3rd Team

Clifton Alliance III lost to Hemingbrough by 6 wickets
Clifton Alliance III 97 all out (R Thorpe 28, R Scarr 3-15)
Hemingbrough 100-4 (L Hallam 30, M Clark25)


Thursday 10th June

Under 9s

Clifton Alliance beat York B by 67 runs

York 225-6
   J Wood 14
   Dan Moll 2-2-4
   Harvey Winterburn 2-2-0
   Noah Kennedy 2-1-1
   Isaac Kennedy 2-1-9

CACC 292-0
   Dan Moll 21
  Jack Mayfield 13
   Jack Heartshorne 12

Saturday 5th June

1st Team

Stamford Bridge (4) lost to Clifton Alliance (30) by 3 wickets
Stamford Bridge 115-8 (33 overs - M Beckett 39)
Clifton Alliance 118-7 (S Holmes 53, P Aconley 5-36)

Clifton arrived at a hot and sunny Stamford Bridge however 5 minutes before the game was due to start, the rain came. After 40 minutes or so of very heavy rain, bets were taken as to if and when the game would start. Eventually the game got underway at 3.15pm, 33 overs per side. The Clifton bowlers made a steady start despite the home teams efforts to get off to a fast start. Stamford captain Matt Beckett made a valuable 39 however no other batsmen made it past 20 as wickets fell regularly and Stamford finished on 115 for 8. All bowlers finished with respectable figures with Poz and Renko taking 2 wickets each and Sam and Joel 1 apiece.

The Clifton reply was built around opener Holmes who batted through almost all of the run chase before being dismissed for 53 with only 1 run required. At the other end contributions were made, most notably from Gillers with 23 and Jason 18 but the regular fall of wickets meant that Clifton were never 100% comfortable until Renko hit the winning runs to take Clifton to the top of the league!

2nd Team

Clifton Alliance II (9) lost to Hornsea (30) by 2 wickets
Clifton Alliance II 221 (M Taylor 54, A Wray 43, D Knapton 4-54,J Butterworth 3-46)
Hornsea 225-8 (P Johnson 46, T Fox 44, R Pooley 55, G How 4-85, A Parkinson 4-28)

Jonny lost the toss (again!) so we batted first (again!), and John Myers promptly hit the fourth ball of the day for six.  He put on 60 in the first 13 overs with Mark Taylor, before he was bowled for 24.  Sid Corley (9) supported Mark for a while, as Mark reached his second successive fifty.  After they were both out Ali Wray took the lead, as he made 43, but no other batsman made a significant contribution.

However, we were helped considerably by extras, as the young fast bowlers from the pavilion end managed to concede 23 wides, 10 byes (which on another day might also have been given as wides) and 46 extras in all between them.  Meanwhile, the more experienced spinner from the far end conceded no extras at all in his 23 unbroken overs.

Eventually the innings closed one over early, when Greg How ran out Niall Tilsley, as we finished on 221, giving them an extra over to reach the target.

Greg How and Richard Marshall became our fifth and sixth opening bowlers of the season, but Richard was soon replaced after an unsuccessful opening spell.  However, Greg took the first four wickets, and was well supported by a tidy spell from Rhys Crowe, as Hornsea reached 111 at half-way. 

Greg eventually tired after a marathon 17-over spell, to be replaced by John Myers, for his first spell of the season, and then by Andy Parkinson, another bowling debutant.  Andy turned out to be our "lethal weapon", taking four wickets in 5 overs to reduce Hornsea to 215-8 at the start of the "extra" over, with their number 10 on strike.  A four off the third ball, thanks to an unsuccessful stop by the sightscreen, and three dot balls were followed by a six of the penultimate ball, as Hornsea scraped home and Clifton were left to think "if only" in respect of several incidents during the game.


3rd Team

Burn beat Clifton Alliance III by 19 runs
Burn 279-4
Clifton Alliance III 259-8 (A Lloyd 83)


Monday 31st May

1st Team - League Cup

Clifton Alliance beat Thirsk by 5 wickets
Thirsk 161 all out (J.Cook 39, S.Christon 46, A.Renton 3-21, J.Hughes 3-44)
Clifton Alliance 163-5 ( J.Gilham 54no, A.Renton 31, R.Mckendry 3-35)