Guy century in vain as Driffield triumph

Yet his side suffered their first defeat since losing to Barnsley on May 5 as Driffield won by three wickets. Looking to put the pressure on leaders Harrogate, whose game at Castleford was one of the casualties, Rotherham totalled 202-7 in a match reduced to 43 overs-a-side.

Guy, whose previous centuries this term came against Doncaster Town in the Knockout Cup and Hull in the league, batted at No 4 and struck 12 fours and two sixes in amassing 110. There was also an undefeated 33 from No 8 Dave Mitchell.

Tom Chippendale came into the Appleby Frodingham side for Adam Wooley and eight hostile overs earned him four victims at a cost of 40 runs.

Driffield, whose three-match winning sequence came to an end at Harrogate a week earlier, rose to the challenge and won in the 42nd over. Slow left-armer Oliver Jackson grabbed five wickets but he proved expensive, his 16.4 overs costing 98 runs.

Sam Drury led Driffield’s successful runs chase with 43 and Nick Hardgrave played his part with an undefeated 31.

Driffield, who finished a disappointing 12th last season, look set to do much better this time and Saturday’s victory was their sixth of the campaign.

Rotherham and Barnsley trail Harrogate by nine points, with Yorkshire Academy a further nine points adrift.

Scarborough’s batsmen have struggled in recent weeks and their total of 144 in 52.3 overs against visitors Appleby Frodingham looked distinctly vulnerable. However, Ashley Lyth and Andy Simpson bowled out the opposition for just 78 in the 40th over.

Seamer Paul Hilton’s 19 economical overs brought him impressive figures of 6-36 but opener Andy Simpson top-scored with 40 for Scarborough and then took 3-11 in 10 overs. Fellow seamer Lyth did even better with 5-16 off 16 overs as Appleby Frodingham fell to a third successive defeat.

Six-hitting Parkinson sparkles in the rain

NEIL Parkinson hammered six sixes in an unbeaten 84 off 41 balls as Mirfield Parish Cavaliers amassed 298-6 against Batley in the Premier Division.

Parkinson shared an unbroken 80-run stand with Daniel Hope (32no) as Cavaliers staged an excellent recovery after being 31-3.

Michael Rounding (68), Matthew Blakeley (39) and David Jackson (35) were the other main contributors to Cavaliers’ highest league total this season in a 46-over game.

In reply, Batley raced to 255-6 off 37.5 overs before the match was abandoned because of rain.

Batley’s Naweed Ghany struck seven sixes in an undefeated 81 off 55 balls and put on 82 with Mohamed Badat (47).

In the only other Premier Division match that started, Hunslet Nelson reached 108-8 from 36.2 overs against Carlton before the weather intervened.

Michael Lambert (32no) was Hunslet’s top scorer and Jonathan Rudge (3-26), Michael Hodgkins (3-42) and Chris Leaf (2-27) were Carlton’s wicket-takers.

In Division One, Hopton Mills were foiled by rain against promotion rivals Moorlands.

Michael Carroll (49) and Sam Gardiner (48) steered Hopton to 188-7 in 50 overs.

Richard Myers (3-31) and Gardiner (2-36) sent Moorlands’ reply collapsing from 68-1 to 127-7 before the game was abandoned with just seven overs remaining.

Chris Stott (30) and Andy Fortis (26) were Moorlands’ top scorers and Nadeem Hussain (3-46) was their most successful bowler.

Hopton Mills, aiming to win promotion for the second year running, are level on points at the top with Ossett, four points clear of third-placed Moorlands.

Premier Division leaders Wrenthorpe, aiming for a league and cup double for the second successive season, host New Farnley in the Jack Hampshire Trophy quarter-finals next Sunday. Wakefield St Michael’s travel to Birstall, last season’s beaten finalists Townville visit Batley, and Northowram Fields host Wakefield Thornes.

Goddard leads the way for East Bierley

East Bierley moved into second place in Division One after securing a 59-run win at Hanging Heaton in the only game to be completed as rain devastated Saturday’s programme.

The match at Bennett Lane was reduced to 29 overs by the rain which caused havoc elsewhere and it proved to be a high-scoring encounter.

A total of 455 runs were scored with East Bierley making 247-6 before Hanging Heaton replied with 198-7.

The match produced 30 sixes with East Bierley hitting 19 and Hanging Heaton 11.

East Bierley were in trouble at 19-2 before launching a blistering attack. Captain Lee Goddard set the example with six sixes and two fours in a rapid 68 and the onslaught was continued by Andrew Rennison (85), debut-making overseas player Rao Anjum (46) and Nick Walker (31no).

Rennison struck six sixes and five fours and Anjum, who played one Test and 60 one-day internationals for Pakistan, smashed 46 from 24 balls.

The Hanging Heaton bowling figures made sorry reading, paceman David Stiff taking 2-75 in seven overs.

Hanging Heaton reached 198-7 thanks to Joe Fraser’s unbeaten 60 and opener Mark Lawson’s 41.

Off-spinner Kez Ahmed was East Bierley’s top bowler with 3-52, while Richard Atkins took 1-28 from his seven overs.

East Bierley took 18 points and are 34 behind leaders Woodlands, who they entertain on Saturday.

Pudsey St Lawrence had Lightcliffe in trouble at 125-8 when rain forced the abandonment of their game.

Kiw1 fast bowler Andrew Pollock trapped Chris Taylor lbw with his fifth ball and then made it a miserable first return to Tofts Road for the ex-St Lawrence batsman Alex Stead when he bowled him for a golden duck.

Pollock added the wickets of Yorkshire’s Alex Lees and overseas player Suleman Khan as Lightcliffe plunged to 28-5.

The only player who managed to combat the threat of Pollock (4-47) and Gareth Clough (3-12) was teenage batsman Andy Gorrod who made an unbeaten 51.