Game One – Clifton Alliance v Yorkshire Academy
The Academy made the visit to Clifton Alliance on Saturday and won the toss elected to bat on a warm afternoon.
The Academy lost their first wicket at 28 before Matthew Revis and Harry Brook took the score on 67 before Revis was dismissed in the 17th over. Tom Loten joined Brook and they put on a third wicket partnership of 61 before Loten was out.
Brook became the fourth wicket to fall at 168 for an excellent innings of 90 from 77 balls with 14 fours and 2 sixes (50 from 47 balls). Bilal Anjam and Eddie Barnes fell in successive overs to leave the Academy at 196 for 6 in the 42nd over. Captain Ben Birkhead and Matthew Taylor shared a partnership of 45 which took the total to 241 before they both fell in the 48th over. Birkhead making 46 from 42 balls. The final total was 262 for 9 from 50 overs.
The wickets were shared between Samuel Grant 3 for 3, Liam Green 1 for 27, Liam Hope-Shackley 2 for 69 and Scott Hopkinson 3 for 60.
In their reply Clifton Alliance lost their first wicket in the fourth over. Captain Scott Hopkinson and overseas Liam Hope-Shackley took the score to 54 before Hope-Shackley was dismissed. The next two wickets fell in successive overs to leave the home side at 74 for 4 in the 18th over. John Gilman joined Hopkinson and they put on 49 before Gilman was out with the scoreboard showing a scorers favourite of 123 for 5!
Hopkinson was the next wicket to fall for an excellent 82 from 110 balls with 16 fours, which left the home team struggling at 146 for 6 in the 36th over. The remaining wickets fell quickly and Clifton Alliance were 194 all out with 13 balls left.
The Academy wicket takers were Matthew Taylor 1 for 10, Harry Brook 3 for 32, Harry Sullivan 1 for 27 and Josh Sullivan 4 for 46.
It was another good performance from the Academy who are still 5th in the table and two points behind Sheriff Hutton Bridge in 4th place.
Points: Clifton Alliance 0 Yorkshire Academy 10.
Game two – Yorkshire Academy v Barnsley Woolley Miners
The Yorkshire Academy welcomed Barnsley Woolley Miners from the Yorkshire League South to Weetwood on Sunday for the Knock Out Cup Semi Final.
The toss was won by the visitors who elected to bat on a warm and sunny afternoon.
Jon Trower was the first wicket to fall in the fourth over with the total on 25. The other opener Boeta Beukes followed shortly afterwards along with Eli Richards and Beck Frostick to leave Barnsley struggling at 59 for 4 in the 13th over. Stephen Walters joined the prolific overseas Harpreet Singh Bhatia and they put on a fifth wicket stand of 28 to take them to 87 for 5 when Walters was out. It soon became 94 for 6 in the 21st over when Ali Jahingir was dismissed. Captain Haider Jahingir joined Singh and they led a recovery with a seventh wicket stand of 80 from 89 balls before Singh was bowled for 81 from 78 balls with 9 fours and a six. The overseas from India had reached his 1000 runs for the season on Saturday. This left Barnsley Woolley Miners at 174 for 7 in the 36th over. Haider Jahingir fell for 38 with the total on 187 for 8 in the penultimate over. The final two batsmen were dismissed in the last over to leave the visitors 192 all out from their allocated 40 overs.
The wickets were shared between Eddie Barnes 1 for 38, Matthew Taylor 4 for 20, Dominic Leech 1 for 19, George Hill 1 for 38 and Harry Brook 2 for 30.
In the reply the Academy openers got off to a flyer putting on 85 from only 50 balls before Harry Brook was out for 52 from 25 balls with 9 fours and 2 sixes. Bilal Anjam joined captain Ben Birkhead and they continued the onslaught with a partnership of 54 from 68 balls before Anjam was the second wicket to fall with score on 139 for 2 in the 20th over. Tom Loten and Birkhead then took the Academy to the brink of victory with a third wicket stand of 45 from 40 balls before Birkhead went for an excellent innings of 88 from 81 balls with 13 fours and a six. George Hill and Loten were together when the victory was achieved as the Yorkshire Academy finished on 194 for 3 wickets with 13 overs left.
Oliver Jackson 2 for 19 and Ali Jahingir 1 for 41 were the wicket takers for Barnsley Woolley Miners.
It was a comprehensive all round performance by Yorkshire Academy and they will play either Woodhouse Grange or Aston Hall in the Final at Treeton CC on Sunday 26 August 2018.
Andrew Hinchliffe – Yorkshire Academy scorer
