The Ilkley Grammar School under-15 girls team has been crowned Yorkshire Indoor champions for the fifth successive year.

A confident and experienced squad travelled to Headingley and defended their title in style.

They began their campaign with an emphatic win against St Aidan’s B team from Harrogate, scoring 126-1 and bowling out their opponents for 52.

In their next match, Ilkley registered 98-3 against Rotherham and dismissed the South Yorkshire representatives for 23.

The holders needed just one more victory to top their league and progress to the final.

This duly came with an innings of 105-3 against Barnsley who made 52-5 in reply.

In the final, Ilkley GS met arch-rivals, St Aidan’s, in another thrilling encounter.

Ilkley won the toss and invited the North Yorkshire champions to bat.

Accurate bowling from Anna Ross, Natasha Sunderland, Hannah Spivey and Alice Edwards and excellent wicketkeeping from Maya Booton, restricted the North Yorkshire team to 69-5, an achievable target.

This proved to be the case, with all of Ilkley’s batters, including debutants Alice Edwards and Rose Hagan, making significant contri- butions as they raced to victory with 2.4 overs to spare.

Ilkley GS will now represent Yorkshire against Lancashire, Durham, Northumberland, Cheshire and Cumbria in the North of England finals in March.

Ilkley squad: Natasha Sunderland (capt.), Hannah Spivey, Anna Ross, Maya Booton, Johanna Murray, Alice Edwards, Rose Hagan, Laura Donohue, Charlotte Keane, Sophie Pullan.