Roses wins are always special and Yorkshire Carnegie’s victory over Lancashire Lightning by 19-runs not only puts a White Rose foot in the quarter-finals of the Friends Life t20 but it broke records and captivated an excited Headingley crowd.

(PHOTO: Aussie Mitchell Starc has taken 13 FLt20 wickets at 9.61 and he's going at exactly a run a ball which is excellent in t20) 

MATCH ZONE

MATCH REPORT

Roses wins are always special and Yorkshire Carnegie’s victory over Lancashire Lightning by 19-runs not only puts a White Rose foot in the quarter-finals of the Friends Life t20 but it broke records and captivated an excited Headingley crowd.

David Miller, with 54 from 30 balls was the Tykes hero, but once again it was a superb team performance that sealed a win, took the points and strengthens Yorkshire’s position at the top of the North Group.

A crowd of 10,350 saw Yorkshire record their fifth consecutive win in the competition for the first time (excluding the no result against Notts at Scarborough as you can’t win an unfinished match) and cheered as Miller and Gary Balance added 91, a record for the fifth t20 wicket, to push the score up to a very challenging 180-6.

The victory leaves the White Rose county four points ahead of their Roses rivals - who have a game in hand. Nottinghamshire, who beat Durham, are second just two points behind Yorkshire. Next weeks games at Trent Bridge and Old Trafford look set to determine the order of the top three.

Yorkshire, asked to bat first after losing the toss, were 60-3 at the halfway stage and a total of around 140 seemed the best they might muster as Adam Lyth (12), Joe Root (15) and Phil Jaques (40 off 28 balls) all fell to catches on the boundary.

But it was that record stand of 91 in 7.1 overs between Miller and Balance that turned the tide. The pair were not separated until the final over when Ballance miscued a ball from Tom Newby and Stephen Parry held a skier at mid-wicket. Balance had made 42 from 23 balls with 6 fours and a six.

Man-of-the-match Miller was run out for 54 from 30 balls with four fours and three sixes, the last of which flew over cover and into the West Stand to take him to fifty.

The Red Rose lost Stephen Moore when he was bowled in Mitchell Starc’s first over.

Tom Smith threatened to spoil the party when he took 19 from Joe Root’s third over, including consecutive sixes from the first two balls. He then flipped Richard Pyrah over deep-square for six more, but when Azeem Rafiq caught a hard chance to his right at point on the second attempt off the same bowler the left-hander was on his way for 33 from 18 balls.

Steven Croft and Karl Brown continued to fight, but acting captain Rafiq bowled four excellent overs from the Rugby Stand End, taking 1-22. Lancashire didn’t give up, but a moment of brilliance at deep square from Joe Root when he held a chance from Brown, realised he was going back over the ropes and threw the ball up to step inside the playing area to calmly pouch, ended the Lancashire batsman’s resistence at 46 from 35 balls with 4 fours and a six.

Paul Horton was bowled by a Moin Ashraf yorker in the 19th over and Croft went for 56 from 68 balls with 4 fours and a six when he skied Starc to Ballance at mid-off. The fielder slipped with the ball in mid-flight, but kept his cool to take the catch from a seat position.

Lancashire ended on 161-5 and it was a contest between two sides playing very good t20 cricket.

That the White Rose beat the in-form Red suggests there may be a lot more to come this summer.

Can we dare to dream?

JAMES BUTTLER at HEADINGLEY

MATCH PREVIEW

As Yorkshire Carnegie continue their tremendous progress in this season’s Friends Life t20 competition we look forward to the Roses t20 at Headingley on Friday. It doesn't get any bigger!

The visit of old rivals Lancashire always brings an exciting game and a great atmosphere with both sides desperate to win. With Yorkshire top of the North Group and Lancashire hot on their heels we need your support more than ever.

BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE

The Club have currently sold just over 10,000 tickets for Friday’s match which starts at 5.40pm.

There’s real excitement surrounding the Tykes progress in the FLt20 so if you’ve got plans for Friday night that don’t involve Headingley CANCEL THEM.

With the weather forecast improving all the time, and what self-respecting Yorkshireman cries off due to weather, we need you to get right behind the Yorkshire lads as they aim for their first appearance at Finals Day in the tenth year of the competition.

Seriously, don’t be put off by the forecast of a few showers. The forecast was much worse in advance of the opening game against Durham and we saw a full 20-overs-a-side match.

Jonny Bairstow has returned from England duty and will play tonight.

Mitchell Starc, the Aussie fast bowler who is leading the wicket-taker in this year’s Friends Life t20 so far with 13 victims, is loving his time at the Club and can’t wait to experience the Roses rivalry first hand on Friday evening.

“I’ve heard a lot about these Roses games. Hopefully we can get some sunshine and get the crowd out there. I’ve heard a lot about the great rivalry so we’ll be looking forward to a competitive match and hopefully we’ll be on the good end of it. I’m really looking forward to it.”

“It’s great fun with a great group of guys,” the 22 year-old quick added. “We’re all having a lot of fun out there together and we’re winning games. We’re doing what we set out to do, sticking to our plans and it’s coming off. We’ve got a lot of belief in the group and hopefully that can keep going.”

“We’re fielding spectacularly as well. I think on a very good day we’re the best team in the competition fielding-wise. We’re all having a lot of fun out there, gelling as a great unit and it’s showing in the results we’re having.”

The Tykes are within touching distance of reaching for the last eight for only the third time and a win against Lancashire Lightning would tighten their grip on a quarter-final berth and also be the first time ever that Yorkshire have strung five t20 wins in a row (discounting no result matches).

In a competition where the top sides in each of the three groups and the best placed second team are guaranteed home quarter-finals the Tykes will want to secure a home tie at Headingley for the first time ever.

Richard Pyrah has been  one of Yorkshire’s stars in the competition over the last few seasons, but is more excited about this season’s push than ever before:

“We’re getting into a really good habit of winning close games and everyone’s worked really hard on the end of the innings stuff in the field and it’s paying off now.”

“You can see the lads have got a lot of confidence and that’s massive when you’re bowling at the death there. To win close games like that at Durham and Leicester is massive for us.

“The lads have really nailed their skills and in the field the vibe is unbelievable.

“We’ve got a young and athletic side and we’re saving 20 or 30 runs a game now and, along with the run outs, it’s a massive positive for us.”

The Lancashire team are never to be underestimated. The Red Rose have won three of their five games played and sit two points behind Yorkshire.

A Yorkshire win would see them put clear air between themselves and Lancashire. A Red Rose triumph more than keeps them interested.

Hold your breath, get behind the lads and let’s keep this momentum building!

JAMES BUTTLER

YORKSHIRE CARNEGIE SQUAD

Azeem RAFIQ (capt), Adam LYTH, Phil JAQUES, Joe ROOT, David MILLER, Gary BALLANCE, Richard PYRAH, Jonny BAIRSTOW (wk), Adil RASHID, Mitchell STARC, Moin ASHRAF, Iain WARDLAW and Steve PATTERSON.

Andrew Gale (hip) and Ryan Sidebottom (calf) miss the match with injury.

LANCASHIRE LIGHTNING SQUAD

Glen Chapple (capt), Yasir Arafat, Karl Brown, Jordan Clark, Steven Croft, Gareth Cross (wk), Paul Horton, Gary Keedy, Simon Kerrigan, Stephen Moore, Oliver Newby, Stephen Parry, Tom Smith.