Sessay 1st XI were at home for their fixture against Malton and Old Malton. The visitors
won the toss and chose to bat first on what promised to be a good batting surface. They
lost a wicket in the 2nd over when Mike Linsley edged Liam Carver to Craig Ross behind the
stumps, and their early progress was very steady with the first 10 overs yielding only 24
with Rob Pinder taking 24 balls to get off the mark as Stuart Peirse bowled with typical
accuracy. However once the scoreboard got moving, Sessay found control difficult to exert
with Rob Pinder now dominating the partnership with his brother as he scored all round
the wicket. Jack Pinder was caught at the wicket off Tim Hall, but Rob continued to score
freely with Will Spencer in good support. Pinder looked set for a century having reached
70 with 10 overs remaining, but fell when he holed out to long off, and although Malton
lost 2 more wickets in successive overs to slip to 155 for 5, their last 5 overs brought them
another 40 runs with Josh Berry making 25 not out.

When Sessay replied, Mark Wilkie took 10 from the first five balls, but dragged the last
delivery into his stumps, and Craig Ross suffered a similar fate as Adam Spaven claimed a
second wicket to leave Sessay on 44 for 2. Matthew Till looked in good touch in his first
appearance of the season, and he eased his way to a half century with no alarms as Sessay
reached 89 for 2 with Mark Jackson also looking well set. The game then changed in 2
overs as Jackson feathered off spinner Mike Linsley to the keeper, but the real hammer
blow to Sessay’s progress came when Till attempted an ill judged second run and failed to
beat a strong return from deep backward point and was run out for 52. Tom Bumby and
Linsley then kept the hosts in check with accurate bowling and with the asking rate
increasing, Nick Harrison, also making his first appearance of the season, was caught at
the wicket off the returning Spaven for 17. Alfie Spencer became Spavens 4th victim and
Tim Hall was lbw for 20 pulling across the line at Will Spencer as Sessay desperately tried
for the boundaries they needed. 50 were needed from the final 4 overs, and Malton closed
out the game in relative comfort despite an enterprising late partnership between Liam
Carver and Stuart Peirse which ended when Peirse was caught for 17, Carver remaining
unbeaten on 28.

A first defeat for Sessay came at the hands of a side who would surely have been one of
the Premier Division’s main contenders had circumstances permitted a full season.

Malton and Old Malton won by 10 runs

Sessay won the toss and batted first at Harrogate, facing opponents who had pushed their
1st XI to the limit a week earlier. Chris Till set up their innings with an impressive 62 (7
fours and 1 six) which came in less than 30 overs, Paul Flintoff lending good support with
26, but last weeks centurion Nick Thorne was lbw without scoring as Sessay slipped from a
promising 93 for 1 to 132 for 6. The innings was given a final lift by Stuart Clark’s
unbeaten 38, and Sessay closed on 167 for 8.

James Easton and James Skelton each claimed a wicket as Harrogate reached 45 for 2 by
the 13th over, then Lee Margerison and Ben Scaling bowled tidily as Sessay competed well.
Scaling boosted Sessay hopes when he had Olly Horberry caught for 38, and the game was in the balance when the hosts needed 70 from the final 10 overs. William Bates and Will Topham then put together the partnership which saw Harrogate home in the last over,
with Sessay left to rue the extra 10 runs which could have made all the difference.

Ouseburn 2nds won by 127 runs

On Sunday, Sessay entertained Hensall in the second round of the National Village
Cup. Hensall won the toss and batted first and lost two early wickets to the pace
of Liam Carver. Their innings never recovered as James Skelton claimed the next
two wickets to fall, and wickets continued to fall regularly as Stephen Langstaff
worked his way through the middle and lower order to bag a 5 wicket haul, with
Skelton concluding his spell with a third victim. Adam Lund produced a few defiant
blows to top score with 27 but Hensall were all out in the 27th over.

When Sessay replied Mark Wilkie drove and pulled powerfully, Mark Jackson also
scored freely and Sessay won in the 12th over, Wilkie reaching his half century with
a trademark on drive, his tenth 4.

Sessay won by 10 wickets

Keith Houlston