York denied the double by Academy

Yorkshire Academy won the League Cup and finished third in the League

Yorkshire Academy denied York a second successive league and cup double when they beat them by four wickets in the League Cup final at Headingley.

York's total of 207-7 was "definitely a below-par score by 40 or 50 runs", conceded York skipper Marcus Wood.

In reply, Gary Ballance made a half-century and Yorkshire first-teamer Jonathan Bairstow hit a late 47 to take Academy to victory with 208-6.

"They played better cricket than us - simple as that," said York's Nick Kay.

"Gary Ballance batted very well to start off and Jonathan Bairstow finished us off," added York wicket-keeper Nigel Durham.

Simon Mason (53) and Alex Collins (52 not out) had earlier taken York to a total they had looked to have an outside chance of defending, until man of the match Bairstow's late burst killed them off.

"Jonny Bairstow has had an unbelievable season for Yorkshire," Kay said. "He's well and truly established as a first-class cricketer and will be an international before long, in my view.

"It was a compliment to us that they felt they had to play him in order to give us a game and he's probably made the difference.

"He took the game away from us because it was in the balance up until that point," the all-rounder added.

Despite the disappointment of defeat, the York players were determined to bask in the glory of an outstanding season, which brought them a third Yorkshire Premier League title in a row.

"We've come up short today but it's been a cracking good season for us," said Kay.

"We're not having a downer," Wood added. "As a side, we've played well and consistently all year and the league matters a great deal to us.

"The main thing is to do well in the league that you play week in, week out for, so we're going to make sure we have a bit of a celebration."