BISHOPTHORPE’S long unbeaten York Vale Cricket League home record was shattered by champions North Cave, who moved to the top of the division one table.

Cave put Bishopthorpe in on a pitch, damp after the overnight thunderstorms, and were dismissed for 73 in 33 overs, Chris Short taking 4-18. Will Ferguson took three catches and then made an unbeaten 58 against good bowling to condemn Bishopthorpe to their first defeat at Ferry Lane since May 2013.

A depleted Ovington still had too much firepower for Ben Johnson despite batting first on a damp pitch, Neil Metcalfe (55) and Tom Ashby (39) scoring the bulk of the runs in 178-7. Graham Byrne took 4-32 for the printers, who were bowled out for 93.

Fulfordgate collapsed to 15-6 against ten-man Melbourne due to great bowling from Harry Collins (4-17) and Si Houlder (5-29), sliding to 46 all out. Melbourne wrapped up the win in the seventh over.

Sixteen-year-old Jamie Pickles was North Duffield’s match-winner against Stockton & Hopgrove. He followed his unbeaten 45 by taking out the top four batsmen for 4-18.

Ed Clark (58) and Mark Webster (40) built a big partnership as Burn totalled 207 against Kelfield. Craig Lawson (40) and Matt Walker (58) put Kelfield in the driving seat with a fourth-wicket stand of 81 but the innings faded as Burn won by 24 runs.

Fourteen-year-old Ralph Sinclair was the star of Ovington II’s 36-run win against Hemingbrough in division two. Batting at three, Sinclair (91) set about taking on the attack scoring 15 boundaries in his maiden half-century.

Wheldrake moved nearer to the top of the division after beating Stillingfleet by six wickets, leg- spinner Mark Cass taking 4-11 from 7.2 overs for the victors, whose skipper Martin Lambert made an unbeaten 53.

TOM PINDER was the hero in a nail-biter at the Gannock which saw Malton & Old Malton squeeze a win over Thorpe Willoughby in HPH York Vale League division three.

Malton were 26-3 after Luke Mitchell (4-27) struck before Pinder’s counter attacking 63 pushed Malt to 135 all out. Thorpe were tied down by Steve Oldfield who took 4-13 from 12 overs. Thorpe edged towards their target but wickets continued to fall to Pinder (4-33) whose side won by six runs.

Jamie Middleton did a similar all-round job against Bishopthorpe II in his first appearance of the season for Selby taking 4-13 and scoring an unbeaten 33 as Selby gained their first league win of the season.

Stamford Bridge simply blew away ten-man Ovington III in division four. The Knavesmire-based side were routed for just 26 with the wickets falling at 0, 1, 1, 1, 6, 10, 11, 12, and finally, 26. Tom Fizgerald had figures of 4-2-4-4 and Martin Veysey 4-1-7-3 while Liam Easton and Dave Foster took the remaining wickets.

Sixteen-year-old Jonty Gillingham hit 77 from 68 balls for his first half-century for Thixendale to see off Yapham II. Khuram Ejaz blasted 11 fours and three sixes in his 98 as Selby totalled 272-8 against Tadcaster Magnet.

* Stockton & Hopgrove II, who could not raise a team for their division three match against Acomb, have resigned from the league with immediate effect. S&H have fielded two teams in the Vale League since 1986.

Press Performance of the Week: Ralph Sinclair, aged 14, scored 91 for Ovington II in division two against Hemingbrough – his maiden half-century