An unbeaten century by New Zealander Martin Guptil saw Derbyshire home by 6 wickets in Chesterfield. It was a familiar tale for the Tykes who, despite 75 from Jacques Rudolph and 81 not out from Gary Ballance, fell short of a truly competitive total. The Tykes, with an inexperienced bowling line-up, were never able to exert control and will want to forget this year's CB40 competition.

Guptil and Chesney Hughes were determined to give the youthful Yorkshire pace attack headaches as Oliver Hannon-Dalby's third over went for 14 runs, including 2 sixes by Guptil, and Moin Ashraf's first went for 13. Adil Rashid's first two overs cost 20 runs as Derbyshire went past 50 in the 6th over.

Jacques Rudolph brought back Ashraf. Hughes found the fence again, but the youngster who recently impressed in his List A debut for the England Development Squad recovered his second over. Steve Patterson was introduced and gradually more dot balls occurred, but Derbyshire had scored 71 runs in their first 8 overs and the required runrate had dropped to a little over 5 an over. But every time a modicum of pressure was applied with tight bowling either Guptil or Hughes responded with a boundary.

It was David Wainwright who came on to bowl the 10th over who struck with his first ball to have Hughes caught by Hannon-Dalby for 38 from 32 balls to make the score 82-1. It was an over that cost just 2 runs and for once Rudolph did not feel like he was following the ball like a spectator at a tennis match.

Derbyshire required another 140 runs from 28 overs at an even 5 an over and they reached 100-1 midway through the 13th over. Guptil went to 51 from 35 balls with his 6th four off Wainwright to add to 2 previous sixes. Yorkshire struck back when Rashid bowled Durston for 20, but the Falcons were still hot favourites.

Wayne Madsen joined Guptil and with 2 fours and a six in his first 13 balls at the crease reignited the New Zealanders attacking instincts. Both hit sixes in Wainwright's 5th over and the 150 was on the board a couple of overs later, the 20th of the innings. Rudolph turned to his senior bowlers in Patterson and McGrath who stemmed the flow of boundaries, but the scoreboard ticked along comfortably.

Patterson gave the Tykes hope when he had Madsen caught by Wainwright for 28. Pressure only counts if it can be sustained and Patterson was doing his bit. In his next over he dismissed Greg Smith, caught by Ashraf for 1.

There was only one question left to answer - would Guptil reach a match winning hundred? With 15 runs needed and 91 to his name he struck Ashraf for four and an over later reached three figures with a boundary off Hannon-Dalby and moments later his single saw Derbyshire across the line by 6 wickets.

Jacques Rudolph captained Yorkshire after Andrew Gale was struck on the elbow by a ball from Oliver Hannon-Dalby in training and, after winning the toss and electing to bat in Chesterfield, he and Joe Sayers stormed out of the blocks and the first fifty came in just 7.4 overs with the first extras of the innings (4 leg-byes).

Sayers was caught behind off Gary Park's first delivery (11th over) after he had contributed 23 of the 1st wicket stand of 61. Adam Lyth joined Rudolph who shot to fifty from 47 balls including 7 fours and a six as they pushed the score to 100-1 at the end of the 17th over.

Lyth departed for 16 when he was bowled by Greg Smith and Yorkshire were 109-2 at the halfway stage. The Tykes had scored 6 more, all to Anthony McGrath when he found Park off Smith. Regular wickets were in danger of losing Yorkshire their momentum despite Rudolph standing pushing into the 70s.

It was Ballance who was going to have to do the lion's share of that acceleration however when Rudolph fell victim to Tom Knight when he was stumped for 75 from 81 balls. With 10 overs remaining Yorkshire were 147-4, but Brophy skied a catch to Chesney Hughes off Tim Groenewald for 6. Ballance and Rashid took 19 from a Mark Foottit over, the 37th of the innings, as Yorkshire pushed past the 200 mark and Ballance reached his half-century from 51 balls.

Rashid was caught by Guptil to give Park his second wicket and Park then ran out Wainwright without facing, but Ballance powered more boundaries as he reached 81 not out from 65 balls including 3 sixes and 7 fours as Yorkshire reached 234-7 in their 40-overs. It was a higher total than seemed probable 10-overs from the close, and the 21-year-old left-hander who is enjoying the year of his life deserved his knock, against his old county, to take more headlines in a match where Yorkshire ultimately disappointed.

JAMES BUTTLER

Yorkshire XI: Sayers, Rudolph (c), Lyth, McGrath, Ballance, Ashraf, Brophy (wk), Rashid, Wainwright, Patterson, Hannon-Dalby

Derbyshire XI: Guptill, Hughes, Durston, Madsen*, Smith, Whiteley, Park, Poynton†, Groenewald, Knight, Footitt

MATCH INFORMATION

MATCH PREVIEW

Chesterfield has been a happy hunting ground for the Tykes in recent years, but in this instance, with neither Derbyshire or Yorkshire being able to progress in the Clydesdale Bank 40-over competition there is only regional pride at stake.

Andrew Gale makes a couple of changes to recent squads with more than one eye on the Scarborough Festival next week and the crucial LV= Championship fixture against Sussex.

Worcestershire's win over Sussex yesterday leapfrogs them over Yorkshire and out of the relegation zone. Worcestershire now have a 4 point advantage over the Tykes with a game in hand and Sussex, who have played 12 matches like Yorkshire, are 25 points clear. A Yorkshire win over Sussex would drag them back into the relegation mix and make the fight against the drop more than the long predicted shoot-out between Yorkshire and Worcestershire. 

With Hampshire beating Durham in a contrived finish too the bottom of the table is congested and the Tykes need to hit their Championship straps over the last few weeks of the summer if Division Two next year is not to become a sad reality.

Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root are absent as they continue to shine for the England Lions and Ryan Sidebottom and Rich Pyrah are rested ahead of next week.

The changes give others chances as Steve Patterson returns to 1st Team action after recovering from a side injury, Oliver Hannon-Dalby is in line to play the second List A game of his career and Alex Lees, prolific at 2nd Team level, could make his full Yorkshire debut – he’s a left-handed batsman with an appetite for runs and another product of the Yorkshire Academy.

YORKSHIRE CARNEGIE SQUAD

Andrew GALE (c), Jacques RUDOLPH, Adam LYTH, Anthony McGRATH, Gary BALLANCE, Alex LEES, Gerard BROPHY (wk), Adil RASHID, David WAINWRIGHT, Steve PATTERSON, Iain WARDLAW, A SHAHZAD and Oliver HANNON-DALBY