The Friends Life t20 campaign is going so well for Yorkshire you almost need to pinch yourself to rid the worry you’ll awake to find you’ve been dreaming. Another excellent all round display at Trent Bridge ruined Nottinghamshire’s unbeaten record this summer and booked the Tykes place in the quarter-finals for only the third time.

(PHOTO: Azeem Rafiq has done a wonderful job as skipper in the absence of injured Andrew Gale)

MATCH ZONE

MATCH REPORT

The Friends Life t20 campaign is going so well for Yorkshire you almost need to pinch yourself to rid the worry you’ll awake to find you’ve been dreaming. Another excellent all round display at Trent Bridge ruined Nottinghamshire’s unbeaten record this summer and booked the Tykes place in the quarter-finals for only the third time.

With two games to go the only thing left to be decided is whether Headingley will stage that last eight game. Yorkshire need to finish top of the North Group, or be the highest pointed second placed side to secure a home tie. But things are looking good.

Yorkshire now have a two point lead at the summit with two matches to play after comfortably overhauling the Outlaws 148-6 with 14 balls to spare.

Notts won the toss and the omens weren’t good. 90% of teams batting first in t20 at Trent Bridge win the game, but a great start and another excellent display in the field restricted the hosts to at least 25 runs short of a par score on a good batting track.

Phil Jaques was man of the match for his 58 from 47 balls led the Tykes home. Adam Lyth hit Graeme White’s left-arm spin for three fours in the first four balls of York-shire’s reply and his 33 from 21 balls was the perfect start and settled any nerves.

Joe Root played inventively for his 27 from 16 deliveries and at 99-1 in the midway through the 12^th over there seemed only one team destined for victory. But Root, Jonny Bairstow (2) and David Miller (3) fell within 14 balls and despite requiring only 42 runs from the remaining 37 balls the match swung slightly. The two form sides in the North Group are not used to losing and Notts were fighting hard.

Jaques though was not going to let things slip and alongside Gary Ballance, who cracked 26 from 13 balls and settled the game with successive straight sixes off Graeme White, saw their team home.

That’s six consecutive wins in completed matches for Yorkshire Carnegie to extend their record run in the tenth year of the competition.

Earlier Adam Voges had stroked 70 from 57 balls with 5 fours as he anchored Notts progress, although regular wickets stalled his own progress and that of his side

Richard Pyrah (1-20) and Mitchell Starc (1-21) bowled superbly and stand-in captain Azeem Rafiq used himself aggressively to take 2-33.

Root had seen the back of Rikki Wessels with the first ball of the game when he slashed a long-hop to Pyrah at short mid-wicket. After the first two overs Notts had managed only 2-1 and it was a poor start they would never completely recover from.

Now it’s off to Old Trafford for the penultimate group game. A win and that quarter-final will be played at Headingley Carnegie on either 24 or 25 July.

JAMES BUTTLER at TRENT BRIDGE

MATCH PREVIEW

Three games in four days will decide Yorkshire Carnegie’s immediate destiny in this year’s Friends Life t20 competition.

Their FLt20 North Group campaign ends with the visit of Derbyshire Falcons to Headingley on Sunday and there is the small matter of the return Roses leg at Old Trafford on Friday night.

But before then a win against Nottinghamshire Outlaws at Trent Bridge will cement their place in the quarter-finals and also make them favourites to top the group and ensure they have a home tie in the last eight.

It’s been a different Yorkshire in the game’s shortest format this summer, a genuine team effort where every member of the squad has contributed along the way and the performances in the field have been hugely impressive.

One point from the last three games could be enough to guarantee a top two finish in the North Group, but wouldn’t a home quarter-final be good?

And there’s no reason for Yorkshire to fear anyone in this year’s competition. Nottinghamshire are unbeaten in the North Group and are only level on points at the top with the Tykes because they’ve suffered four washouts. They are not to be underestimated, but neither are Yorkshire Carnegie.

Yorkshire have a better record than the second placed sides in the other two divisions, so with the top sides and the best second placed team guaranteed a home quarter-final, the Tykes could be playing at Headingley in the next round even if Notts top the North Group.

North Group - the teams in contention

Yorkshire have never been in a stronger position at this stage in the t20 format and have never played more consistently positive cricket.

Their five consecutive wins in five completed matches is a club record and if they make it six-in-a-row at Trent Bridge you will need to put a line through 25 and 25 July on your calendars as that is when the quarter-finals will be played.

The Club have confirmed that Mitchell Starc will be available for a potential quarter-final. The leading wicket-taker in the competition will be joining up with Australia A at the start of their England tour, but Starc could also be available for the Derbyshire CB40 at Chesterfield on 22 July and the LV= County Championship fixture against Leicestershire at Grace Road starting on 27 July.

If Yorkshire make it through to Finals Day on 25 August Yorkshire would talk again with Cricket Australia to see if the left-armer could make a return.

David Miller will also be available in the last eight round and for the final despite being part of a South Africa A tour in Ireland.

Oliver Hannon-Dalby, bereft of first team action recently, has been offered out of loan to gain him county action and boost his development.

JAMES BUTTLER

YORKSHIRE CARNEGIE SQUAD

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

The only enforced absentees continue to be Andrew Gale (hip) and Ryan Sidebottom (right calf). 

NOTTS OUTLAWS TEAM

Michael Lumb, Riki Wessels, Adam Voges (capt), James Taylor, Samit Patel (released by England), Chris Read, Scott Elstone, Steven Mullaney, Darren Pattinson, Harry Gurney, Andy Carter.