Academy move up league as Azeem leads rout

Off-spinners Azeem Rafiq and Joe Root ran through Rotherham Town today to give Yorkshire Academy an eight-point victory in the ECB Oxbridge Yorkshire County Premier League.

Academy skipper Richard Wilkinson won the toss in spinner-friendly conditions at Weetwood, elected to take strike, and Root and Gary Ballance opened with 91.

Root was stumped by James Lowe off left-arm spinner Alex Welsh, but this brought in Jonny Bairstow, who immediately accelerated the pace.

The second pair added 70 before Ballance, 69, was caught off Nathan Smith. The outfield was very slow, and many twos normally would have gone for four. Bairstow's knock deserved a 50 - but he was bowled by Smith, whose medium pace proved to be Rotherham's most effective weapon. Smith finished with 4-61, linking well with Welsh, who conceded only 62 runs in a 20-over spell. With such a slow outfield, 191 would not be an easy score to beat.

Alex Lilley for the second time this season shared the new ball: he bowled very straight, and was rewarded with the wickets of Welsh and Simon Guy. 24-2. Not an encouraging start. Rafiq made sure that the wickets continued to fall, and he claimed the other opener, Whittaker, for 17. James Moorhouse held firm, but runs were difficult to score, and Rafiq enjoyed the conditions.

Azeem decimated the middle-order, and when Root's off-spin was added he took three quick wickets. James Lowe, 12, and Imesh Silva, 19, had a breezy but short partnership, and Rotherham finished on 123.

A fine 68-run victory and eight points took the Academy to eighth out of 14 clubs. Azeem can be pleased with his bowling, while Ballance, Root and Bairstow continue to perform well.

Yorkshire Academy Innings (maximum 55 overs): J Root st Lowe b Welsh 34, G Ballance c Staveley b Smith 69, J Bairstow b Smith 49, C Roebuck lbw b Smith 0, J Morgan (wicket-keeper) run out (Norton) 3, C Allinson not out 9, A Rafiq c Lowe b Smith 6, A Lilley not out 1. Extras (b 3, lb 7, w 1, nb 9) 20.
Total (6 wickets, 55 overs) 191.
DNB: R Wilkinson (captain), M Chadwick and O Hannon-Dalby.
FoW: 1-91, 2-161, 3-162, 4-171, 5-180, 6-190.

Bowling: G Norton 7-2-14-0, O Hannon-Dalby 6-1-21-0, I Silva 11-2-32-0, N Smith 14-0-61-4, A Welsh 20-2-62-1, C Page 3-0-12-0.

Rotherham Town Innings (maximum 55 overs): O Whittaker lbw b Rafiq 17, A Welsh c Rafiq b Lilley 9, Simon Guy b Lilley 1, J Moorhouse c Chadwick b Rafiq 33, A Smith st Morgan b Rafiq 12, A Staveley c Hannon-Dalby b Rafiq 3, Stuart Guy (captain) c Morgan b Root 7, G Norton lbw b Root 3, J Lowe (wicket-keeper) c Ballance b Rafiq 12, I Silva b Root 19, C Page not out 0. Extras (b 3, lb 1, w 2, nb 1) 7.
Total (49.2 overs) 123.
FoW: 1-18, 2-24, 3-45, 4-73, 5-78, 6-81, 7-90, 8-97, 9-123, 10-123.

Bowling: O Hannon-Dalby 6-1-21-0, A Lilley 6-1-13-2, M Chadwick 6-0-12-0, A Rafiq 18.2-3-43-5, C Allinson 6-1-13-0, J Root 7-1-17-3.

Umpires: T Cottam and M McFarlane.  Scorers: HD Galley and P Smith. 

Words and Statistics: HAROLD GALLEY.

ECB OXBRIDGE YORKSHIRE COUNTY PREMIER LEAGUE SATURDAY

Barnsley 249-6 (S Widdup 107, A Morris 51, G Batty 43, D Barrick 3-72); Hull 250-8 (A Simpson 82, J Hodgson 60, M Watkins 47, D Barrick 34).

Appleby Frodingham 98 (C Taylor 28, A Ellis 7-27); Cleethorpes 99-1 (I Mutaliph 56 not out, A Osmond 32 not out).

Doncaster Town 93 (C Young 6-30); Castleford 94-2 (D Murphy 48, S Sacks 37).

Driffield 200-9 (J Frazer 65, M Tennant 28, D Brunton 25, N Hargrave 27, M Tupper 29 not out, N Kay 7-67); York 165 (O Tomlinson 41, M Wood 56, S Patterson 6-42).

Sheffield United 113 (N Longhurst 32, J Finch 4-24, S Tennant 3-30); Scarborough 114-4 (D Harland 36).

Harrogate 195 (D Allen 69, S Clark 28, R Sedley 27, P Turnbull 5-41, N Khan 4-53); Sheffield Collegiate 196-1 (N Gaywood 105 not out, I Asif 64).

Yorkshire Academy 191-6 (G Ballance 69, J Bairstow 49, N Smith 4-61); Rotherham Town 123 (J Moorhouse 33, A Rafiq 5-43, J Root 3-17).

ECB OXBRIDGE YORKSHIRE COUNTY PREMIER LEAGUE SUNDAY

Barnsley 223-5 (A Morris 65, S Widdup 43, D Wood 32); Rotherham 204 (O Whittaker 55, J Lowe 49, D Adams 5-72).

ECB Oxbridge Yorkshire County Premier League Correspondent: STEVE WARD.