John Blain, right, blasted six sixes and three fours in a captain's innings for Yorkshire Academy - and then pitched in with captain's wickets as his side went first equal in the ECB Oxbridge Yorkshire County Premier League.

John Blain, right, blasted six sixes and three fours in a captain's innings for Yorkshire Academy - and then pitched in with captain's wickets as his side went first equal in the ECB Oxbridge Yorkshire County Premier League.

Blain hit 62 not out and took 4-70, but Academy had to be content with six points to Driffield Town's two because they failed to bowl their hosts out.

It was good luck with the Saturday weather for Academy - and bad luck for Scarborough, who failed to get on the park against Sheffield Collegiate. Academy and Scarborough are now neck-and-neck on 92 points.

York lie third with 86, followed by Castleford 76, Cleethorpes 70 and Doncaster Town 66.

Yet another winning call saw Academy bat. They lost Gary Ballance, eight, caught off pace bowler Ezard at 18 - but Joe Root and Callum Geldart added 41 before leading-scorer Root was trapped in front by Ezard...who also brought about Geldart's downfall - this time as catcher. Academy owed much to a stand of 59 between Chavez Younes, 29, and Jack Hargreaves, 59, which pushed the total to 177-5 with 16 overs left.

A shower held up progress for 20 minutes - but did nothing to dampen No. 8 Blain, who rattled up 62 not out and shared in an aggressive stand of 73 for the seventh wicket with Alex Lilley, 34. Blain's runs came in 37 balls, with six sixes and three fours. A sound team-batting performance on a very good Driffield wicket.

Hargreaves sent back Driffield opener Clarkson for a duck, but skipper Joe Fraser and Australian David Barber moved carefully into their 30s before falling to Root and Roebuck. Academy suffered a mauling from Sam Drury, 89 with six sixes and five fours, and Danny Broumpton - who hit 62 aged only 17. Their stand of 105 really impressed the Driffield "Barmy Army" - and both were severe on left-arm spinner Gurman Randhawa, who has made such an impression recently.

Blain bowled perhaps more overs than he would have wished - but his contribution was vital: he despatched Broumpton and both Drurys, and when Henry Chadwick caught fellow wicket-keeper Goddard the run chased faded.

Yorkshire Academy Innings (maximum 55 overs): G Ballance c D Barber b Ezard 8, J Root lbw b Ezard 34, C Geldart c Ezard b N Hardgrave 42, C Roebuck c S Tennant b D Broumpton 18, C Younes lbw b N Hardgrave 29, J Hargreaves lbw b D Barber 59, A Lilley c R Drury b D Barber 34, J Blain (captain) not out 62, G Randhawa not out 0. Extras (lb 7, w 1) 8
Total (7 wkts, 55 overs) 294
DNB: H Chadwick (wicket-keeper) and M Ashraf
FoW: 1-18, 2-59, 3-91, 4-118, 5-177, 6-209, 7-282

Bowling: O Ezard 14-1-67-2, S Tennant 6-0-28-0, D Broumpton 5-0-24-1, N Hardgrave 15-1-85-2, B Banerjee 7-1-29-0, D Barber 8-1-54-2

Driffield Town Innings (maximum 55 overs): D Barber c C Geldart b C Roebuck 33, M Clarkson lbw b J Hargreaves 0, J Fraser (captain) c A Lilley b J Root 35, S Drury c G Ballance b J Blain 89, D Broumpton b J Blain 62, R Drury c C Younes b J Blain 2, N Hardgrave not out 20, M Goddard (wicket-keeper) c H Chadwick b J Blain 0, B Banerjee b M Ashraf 7, S Tennant not out 7. Extras (b 4, lb 3, w 1, nb 9) 17
Total (8 wkts, 55 overs) 272
DNB: O Ezard
FoW: 1-3, 2-71, 3-103, 4-208, 5-212, 6-243, 7-243, 8-259

Bowling: M Ashraf 12-2-40-1, J Hargreaves 6-2-20-1, C Younes 4-0-23-0, J Blain 13-1-70-4, C Roebuck 4-0-20-1, G Randhawa 8-0-58-0, J Root 8-1-34-1

Result: Yorkshire Academy incomplete win by 22 runs

Yorkshire Academy 6 points; Driffield Town 2 points

Umpires: Mr RE Lawson (Scarborough) and Mr J Abram (Hull). Scorers: Mr HD Galley and Mr L Clark

Words and Statistics: HAROLD GALLEY

ECB OXBRIDGE YORKSHIRE COUNTY PREMIER LEAGUE JULY 18, 2009

Appleby Frodingham 204-6 (D Heath 31, N Sayeed 88, F Rehman 50, R Dewey 29 not out, T Fletcher 6-85); Sheffield United 86 (A Wilson 32, N Sayeed 3-24, D Heath 3-15, P Hilton 3-23)

Barnsley v York. No play

Castleford 203-3 (C Jackson 90, L Patel 75); Cleethorpes 204-7 (I Mutalif 25, B Kirby 46, E Carlton 26, J Osmond 50, J Randerson 3-46)

Doncaster Town 106-6 (L Townsend 39, J Redfearn 27 not out, H Mohammad 3-44); Harrogate 109-2 (J Proud 51 not out, H Mohammad 29)

Yorkshire Academy 294-7 (J Root 34, C Geldart 42, C Younes 29, J Hargreaves 59, A Lilley 34); Driffield 272-8 (D Barber 33, J Fraser 35, S Drury 89, D Brompton 62, J Blain 4-70)

Rotherham Town 218 (J Moorhouse 102, G Purshouse 32, A Simpson 3-21, A Boasman 3-15, D Barrick 3-44); Hull 158 (A Simpson 69, A Kirby 30, B Telfer 6-42)

Sheffield Collegiate v Scarborough. No play

ECB Oxbridge Yorkshire County Premier League Correspondent: STEVE WARD