A captain's top score of 77 by Alex Lees, above, helped Yorkshire Academy to victory by 54 runs against Barnsley in the Solly Sports ECB Yorkshire County Premier League at Weetwood.

Academy reached 195-9 in their 55 overs, with off-spinner Richard Wilkinson, former Yorkshire player and coach, taking 5-55, and Barnsley replied with 141-9. Left-hand spinner Gurman Randhawa topped Academy's bowling with 4-46 in a heavy stint of 21 overs.

Lees started the day well - winning the toss and deciding to bat - but he lost opening partner Callum Geldart to a good catch by Gary Ballance low down at second slip.

George Ross, making a rare appearance, settled things down, and with Lees added 76 before he was clean bowled by former Academy coach Wilkinson. Jack Hargreaves was lbw first ball to seamer Gary Yates, and Wilkinson then bowled Jack Leaning to leave the Academy rocking at 98-4.

A stand of 30 by Jack Hughes and Lees steadied the ship, but Wilkinson claimed the wickets of Hughes, 18, and David Girling. Seven runs after Girling's dismissal Lees went to a silly run-out, Oliver Hannon-Dalby snaring him with a direct hit. An excellent innings by Lees: he held the side together, and he was the only batsman to read Wilkinson well.

In the last eight overs Randhawa, 14, Henry Chadwick, 10 not out, and James Wainman pushed on to a respectable total - Wainman striking two fine fours and a towering six in his 10-ball knock. It was Wilkinson's excellent bowling which subdued the Academy and Lees who held the innings together.

An excellent start was needed from the Academy bowlers...and they delivered. Barnsley were limping at 9-3, Simon Widdup the first to fall when he dragged a full-length ball from Hargreaves on to his stumps. Jack struck again when he bowled Matt Wilson, and he had Steven Nuttall lbw after he had faced three balls.

Ballance and Glen Yates played soundly for 14 overs and saw off the quicker bowlers -Wainman conceding only two runs in five overs. It was the introduction - not for the first time this year - of two left-arm spinners, Hughes and Randhawa, which slowed the scoring rate and caused the middle-order problems.

Even suffering from a thigh injury, Hughes bowled nine tight overs for 17 runs and two wickets - Wilkinson and Hannon-Dalby. With 39 overs bowled and Barnsley 99-9 Academy had eight points for the taking. Wicket-keeper Luke Bullingham and Jack Price had other ideas: they put on 42 in a last-wicket unbeaten partnership as Lees switched his bowlers in vain. The last pair's resistance earned a useful point to ease Barnsley's pain.

The Academy, in taking six points, move above Barnsley and Scarborough to second place below York.

Words and Statistics: HAROLD GALLEY