MALTON & Old Malton need 17 points from their last match of the Hunters York & District Senior League division one season to make sure of evading the drop.

Malton go into their game at derby rivals Pickering 14 points ahead of second-bottom Driffield Town II after the clash between the two relegation-threatened sides was abandoned because of rain.

Malton picked up 10 points from the match and Driffield 11.

Driffield posted 186-7 with Grant Halder making 63, Nicky Johnson an unbeaten 50 and Damon Jenkinson 34. Shaun Harland responded with 39 not out as Malton moved to 51-2 when the rain came.

Driffield host fourth-bottom Whitkirk, who need eight points to ensure safety.

Pickering’s game at Goole was also cut short by the wet weather.

Goole had reached 152-8 when the abandonment came. Ben Earl struck 79 and Ollie Sugden 33 as, for the Pikes, Mark Shepherd claimed 3-52 and Dave Greenlay a marginally better 3-46.

Meanwhile, Jacob Green made 37 and Tom Malloch 25 as Bolton Percy reached 84-3 against visiting Folkton & Flixton before that game was also then ended by adverse weather conditions.

Sheriff Hutton Bridge look set to finish third in the premier division.

Their hopes of recapturing second place looked like being aided by champions Woodhouse Grange, who had Easingwold on 72-4 in their top-of-the-table meeting only for that game to be curtailed by rain. Grange had no such irritation the following day as they won the coveted Davidstow Village Cup at Lord’s – proving again the strength of the York Senior League.

Sheriff Hutton Bridge’s game at Fenner was reduced to 40 overs per side with the hosts making 203-5.

Their top scorer was Ross Davey, who made 58, while Paul Scrowston added 31. The Bridge’s reply was not promising, with only Rob Pinder (27) making a decent contribution before the weather took control at 93-5, leaving the Bridge still 13 points behind Easingwold going into the last weekend of the season.

A day earlier, at Headingley, Bridge’s Mark Fisher had emerged as the fastest club bowler in a competition during the tea breaks in the England versus India match.

Fisher and Hull Zingari’s Matthew Scarr both clocked 77 miles per hour, and Fisher clinched the award in a bowl-off when he was 1mph speedier than his rival.

Fisher, whose younger brother Matthew has just received his Yorkshire County Second XI cap, wins a training session with Jason Gillespie and Yorkshire’s senior squad.

Fourth-placed Stamford Bridge had reached 139-4 against bottom-placed York thanks to an unbeaten 66 by Paul Milner – but the weather then gained the decisive hand.