Yorkshire Carnegie completed a Roses t20 double over their Rose rivals at Headingley with an excellent all-round display that thrilled an excited Headingley crowd. When the dangerous Jordan Clark was run out attempting to get the strike after Gary Keedy missed the first ball of the final over it sparked scenes of Tykes jubilation as victory was secured by 11 runs.

The win pushes the White Rose county above the Red Rose in the Northern Group and up to 4th place with at least one game in hand on most other sides.

It was a shame that some people were put off by a dire weather forecast, but the large crowd (estimates put it somewhere around 13,000) of Yorkshire supporters that made the trip were rewarded with 40 compelling overs. Watching Andrew Gale’s resurgent side conquer Lancashire will be a night they will remember fondly.

T20 cricket was introduced to blood a new era of cricket fans and if tonight’s game was a youngster’s first foray into the sport then the cricket bug may well have been contracted for life.

It was the Yorkshire captain and the Man of the Match, Andrew Gale (60), who again got Yorkshire off to a flying start after Lancashire had opted to bowl first and then Adil Rashid (4-26) and Azeem Rafiq (2-29) who bowled the Red Rose into near submission.

After being set 179 to win, Rafiq took a wicket with his first ball and two in his first over before Rashid bagged three wickets in five to secure Yorkshire’s dominance. Jordan Clark threatened to get Lancashire close when he smashed Richard Pyrah’s penultimate over for 24 runs, but nothing was going to dampen the Tykes night as they secured a win that finally banished memories of the Championship defeat at Liverpool. Securing the ‘double’ will have felt sweeter after recent jibes between the sides have added needle to the oldest of all rivalries.

With 12 required from Ryan Sidebottom’s final over, Keedy swung hard at the first ball, missed and as he and Clark attempted to run a bye keeper Jonny Bairstow threw down the stumps with Clark (38 in 18 balls) short of his ground.

Gale and Bairstow had added a 69 run opening stand in 7.3 overs. Luke Procter bowled too short to Gale who hit two fours in his opening over and Bairstow hit Tom Smith for 2 fours before swinging a six over backward square. Sajid Mahmood and Gary Keedy halted Yorkshire’s progress and Keedy trapped Bairstow lbw when he was trying to reverse sweep. He had made 32 from 19 balls with five fours and a six.

Adam Lyth replaced Bairstow seamlessly as he and Gale added 65 in less than 8 overs. Gale hit 6 fours and a six in 46 balls but hit a Smith full toss to mid-off. Mahmood had Lyth caught and bowled for 45 from 33 balls and Yorkshire were 164-3 in the 19th. Gary Ballance belted Smith for six over cover and hit the next ball over mid-wicket into the packed West Stand as he ended unbeaten on 25 from 15 balls. Ajmal Shahzad cracked 11 from 6 and Yorkshire had posted their best score of the summer – 178-4.

Stephen Moore, who had looked dangerous at Old Trafford a week before, and Smith showed no signs they thought the target of 179 was out of reach. They had progressed their start to 25 when Joe Root swooped from long-on to throw down the stumps to end Moore’s hopes and then Smith was well caught and bowled by Rashid low down to his right and Lancashire were 27-2.

One wondered how Rafiq might cope with the added expectation his heroics of the week before would bring, but he bowled Steven Croft with his first delivery and never looked back. Mahmood fell lbw to his fifth ball and Lancashire were 67-4 after 7.5.

Karl Brown and Gareth Cross added 51 in 7 overs to give Lancashire a glimmer, but Rashid trapped Cross lbw when heaving to leg, had Brown caught by Rafiq and long-off and took Procter leg before.
Shahzad bowled Hogg, Sidebottom bowled Parry, but a t20 match is never won until the final ball had been bowled.

Clark did not deserve to lose after hitting 3 fours and 2 sixes in quick succession, but Yorkshire deserved to win. Marketing types think of all kinds of way of selling cricket to the masses, but after the last ball win over Worcestershire and two crackers against Lancashire, combined with a Yorkshire side that are learning to win and starting to believe, cricket is starting to sell itself.

JAMES BUTTLER at HEADINGLEY

MATCH INFO

YORKSHIRE CARNEGIE SQUAD

Andrew GALE (c), Jonny BAIRSTOW, Adam LYTH, Anthony McGRATH, Gerard BROPHY, Joe ROOT, Gary BALLANCE, Adil RASHID, Richard PYRAH, Ajmal SHAHZAD, Ryan SIDEBOTTOM, David WAINWRIGHT. Steve PATTERSON and Azeem RAFIQ 

POINTS TABLE - NORTHERN GROUP

A win for the Tykes on Friday night will push them above Lancashire and into the top four ahead of the break for a round of Championship fixtures.

TICKET INFORMATION

After last week's nailbiting Roses clash at Old Trafford don't miss your chance to see the return match at Headingley on Friday night!

Tickets available on the day are priced at £22 for adults and £11 for all concessions.