Skipper Alex Lees, pictured, showed the way with a controlled 74, but a young Yorkshire Academy team went down by 10 wickets in their opening Solly Sports Yorkshire ECB Premier League match at Scarborough.

The Academy gave outings to several newcomers to Yorkshire League cricket – but they were boosted by the inclusion of Ajmal Shazad, fresh from his winter Down Under.

Lees duly won the toss and took first strike with partner James McNichol. The score was 23 when McNichol was caught behind by Mark Tennant off Jack Holt, but another left-hander, George Ross, had a stand of 82 with his captain before he, too, was caught behind off medium-pacer Andy Simpson.

Shazad had reached 12 when he misjudged the line and was clean bowled by Holt.  Debutant Will Rhodes showed promise, but with his score on 30 Holt trapped him lbw. Scarborough captain Simon Tennant must have been delighted with Holt’s line and control, and the bowler would have been well pleased with his return of 4-41.

Lees was the fifth man to go, with six fours and a six in his excellent 74 when he was caught at mid-on off the spinner Ashish Kundi. The innings closed on 216-8, with some positive signs evident, but the support for Lees apart from Ross and Rhodes was weak. Five batsmen failed to reach double figures.

The coaches doubted whether 216 would be a total to trouble Scarborough on a good track, and the hosts needed only the experienced Darren Harland - free from the worries of captaincy this year - and the prolific Andy Simpson, who compiled 1,258 runs last season.

These two ran to 50 and then 100, scoring at 3.5 per over. Both had minor hiccups: Harland was missed at mid-on, and then Simpson should have been caught at square-leg, but generally they were untroubled. Simpson was first to his century, and with four needed for victory Harland reached his own century off the last ball of the match. 

Six points for Scarborough, who claimed an incomplete victory because they had not bowled the Academy out. Academy will hope for their first points of the season when they travel to Cleethorpes on Monday, May 2.

Yorkshire Academy Innings

Alex Lees (capt) c W Gibson b A Kundi 74 (6 fours, 1 six)
James McNichol c M Tennant b J Holt 9 (2 fours)
George Ross c M Tennant b A Simpson 40 (7 fours)
Ajmal Shazad b J Holt 12 (1 four)
Jack Leaning c M Tennant b Ashley Lyth 0
Will Rhodes lbw b Jack Holt 30 (2 fours)
David Girling b Ashley Lyth 1
Henry Chadwick (wicket-keeper) not out 23 (3 fours)
Jonathon Tattersall b J Holt 6
Joshua Shaw not out 0
Extras (w 5, b 10, lb 6) 21
Total (8 wkts, 55 overs) 216
Fall of Wickets: 1-23, 2-105,  3-140,   4- 141, 5-161, 6-168,   7-196, 8-216
Did not bat: Ben Coad

BOWLING

J Holt 13-4-41-4 (3 wides)
W Gibson 3-0-16-0 (2 wides)
Ashley Lyth 19-3-70-2
S Tennant 8-1-30-0
T Smith 2-0-13-0
A Simpson 3-0-8-1
A Kundi 7-1-22-1

Scarborough CC Innings

Andy Simpson not out 111 (21 fours)
Darren Harland not out 100 (13 fours)
Extras (b 4, lb 1, nb 4) 9
Total (0 wkts, 43 overs) 220
Did not bat: Kunwar Bansil, Mark Tennant (wicket-keeper), Ashley Lyth, Joe Padmore, Theo Smith, Simon R Tennant (captain), Ashish Kundi, Jack Holt and William Gibson

BOWLING

Ajmal Shazhad 9-0-38-0 (1 no-ball)
Ben Coad 6-1-29-0
Joshua Shaw 6-0-41-0 (2 no-balls)
Dave Girling 3-0-18-0
Jonathon Tattersall 9-0-30-0
William Rhodes 2-0-12-0 (1 no-ball)
George Ross 7-0-31-0
James McNichol 1-0-16-0

Umpires: Donovan  Koch and David Barnes. Scorers: HD Galley and AT Jack

Words and Statistics: HAROLD GALLEY