Yorkshire never recovered from being reduced to 22-4 after 6 overs as Kent ran out victors in the opening CB40 match of the season at Headingley by 4 wickets. Matt Coles was the architect with a career best 6-32. Andrew Gale, Joe Root and Adil Rashid did well to recover with that bat and Azeem Rafiq (3-22) and Iain Wardlaw were impressive with the ball, but couldn't resurrect their side's fortunes.

MATCH ZONE

MATCH REPORT

Yorkshire never recovered from being reduced to 22-4 after 6 overs as Kent ran out victors in the opening CB40 match of the season at Headingley by 4 wickets. Matt Coles was the architect with a career best 6-32. Andrew Gale, Joe Root and Adil Rashid did well to recover with that bat and Azeem Rafiq (3-22) and Iain Wardlaw were impressive with the ball, but couldn't resurrect their side's fortunes.

Rob Key and Sam Billings set about knocking off the 176 runs required with some authority. Moin Ashraf straight to leg stump early on and was punished and Gale turned to spin after 8 overs as he desperately searched for a breakthrough.

Wickets were the only way Yorkshire were going to stay in the game and Adil Rashid duly obliged when Billings struck him high into the hands of Wardlaw at deep midwicket. Kent were 57-1 at the end of the 12th.

An excellent maiden over followed from Wardlaw as he was introduced from the Kirkstall Lane End and Yorkshire took their bowling powerplay.

Rafiq came back and picked up Alex Blake lbw for 14 as Yorkshire exerted pressure and that mounted when Rob Key drove a caught and bowled straight back to the bowler to see the experienced opener on his way for 40 to leave Rafiq with 8-1-22-3.

Kent's hundred came up midway through the 25th and Darren Stevens and Brendan Nash played sensibly to keep Kent's noses ahead. Yorkshire had stuck to their task well, but every time they exerted pressure and you thought there was a chance Kent hit back with a couple of boundaries to remain in control.

Darren Stevens sensed the winning line was close and opened up to hit Patterson for successive fours over wide mid-on and then turned to leg to bring up his fifty in 41 balls with 7 fours.

Stevens couldn't see the job through and went for 57 in 51 balls when he struck Rashid straight to Gary Ballance at long-on, ending a partnership of 65 in 11.5 overs which effectively won the contest.

Sam Northeast was lbw to Ashraf for 3 and Brendan Nash fell lbw to Root for 24 with the scores level and 8 balls still to play.

Yorkshire did well to take the ball into the final over, but Geraint Jones hit the winning run to secure Kent's win by 4 wickets with 4 balls to spare. 

Earlier Yorkshire had won the toss and opted to take first hit as sun bathed the Headingley ground and finally defrosted anyone who'd spent the previous four days in Scarborough.

Yorkshire brought Rafiq, Ashraf and Wardlaw into their side as Tim Bresnan (ECB), and Ryan Sidebottom and Anthony McGrath (rested) were left out.

There was some excellent tight bowling from Mark Davies and Matt Coles which saw Joe Sayers (1) caught at slip by James Tredwell off Davies and Phil Jaques (0) bowled by Coles to reduce Yorkshire to 10-2 from 3.5 overs.

Jonny Bairstow (3) was well caught by Coles after chipping back a slower ball which the bowler lept to take above his head and Ballance was adjudged lbw to the next delivery, although TV replays suggested the ball was going over the bails. Coles though had 3-13 from his four over spell of pace, swing and seam.

Adam Ball was introduced from the Rugby Stand End and delivered a maiden followed by another by Davies as Gale and Root started to rebuild.

Root played fluently and Gale, patient at first, started to accelerate at halfway. He deposited Darren Stevens into the East Stand for a maximum while Root glided a fluent straight driven four as he took 11 from the first four balls of an Adam Ball over.

Just as the partnership was blooming Gale played back to Stevens in the 25th over and was given out lbw by umpire Millns. TV replays showed a thick outside edge onto pads and after doing the hard work and started to prosper the Yorkshire captain was right to feel aggrieved.

Rashid has always been adept at wristy flicks and the one he played to a shorter Stevens selivery to the fine third man fence was of the highest class. But as he started to play well Root drove a Ball delivery straight to Sam Northeast at backward point. He had made 49 from 64 balls with 4 fours.

Rafiq and Rashid then combined. Rafiq drove Coles straight for four like a bullet but then tried to repeat the stroke and found Stevens running round at mid-off to take the skied chance. 

An over later ahead of the 35th over at 137-7 Yorkshire took the batting powerplay and Rashid walloped Ball over extra cover for six. Yorkshire accumulated 28 during the four powerplay overs including a cleanly struck four over extra cover from Steve Patterson.

Patterson (14) played an elaborate glance that spooned Coles to keeper Jones who ran around to short fine leg to collect. Next ball Rashid (32) clobbered Coles to Stevens at long off. Ashraf and Wardlaw saw Yorkshire to 175-9 at the innings close.

It was a good recovery after being 22-4, but the Yorkshire attack will have to bowl  exceedingly well to win this match. As Coles did finishing with career best List A figures of 6-32. 

JAMES BUTTLER at HEADINGLEY 

MATCH PREVIEW

Yorkshire Carnegie start their Clydesdale Bank 40-over campaign with the visit of Kent Spitfires to Headingley on Sunday. Andrew Gale will lead his side after a disappointing performance last year and is looking to shed those bad memories and take his side all the way to a Lord’s final in September.

Gale said: “The CB40 is another form of cricket where there’s a trophy there to win. We are immensely looking forward to it. We didn’t perform as well as we’d have liked last year so we’ve got a point to prove.”

That ambition and fresh ideas introduced by new 1^st XI coach Jason Gillespie will go a long way to seeing Yorkshire shed the tag of last year's under achievers.

The 40-over season in 2011 was a real disappointment. Home and away defeats to Netherlands saw the Tykes finish below the Dutch in 6^th position of seven sides in their division.

There were bright spots. Jacques Rudolph returned and blazed a Yorkshire best century against Sussex Sharks and Jonny Bairstow’s maiden List A hundred against Middlesex at Lord’s  was a coming of age knock that went a long way towards sealing his selection for England one-day appearances towards the end of the summer.

Six home and six away matches stretch ahead over the remainder of the summer against Kent, Unicorns, Sussex, Derbyshire, Northamptonshire and Warwickshire. A good start is a must with only the top side in each of the three divisions and the best runner-up guaranteed a last four spot.

JAMES BUTTLER

FAMILY FUN DAY

To celebrate the start of the CB40, Yorkshire Carnegie will play host to it's first Family Fun Day of 2012! With activites for all ages it is a day out not to be missed!

Activities include:

• The Cricket Factory
• The Throw Show
• Face Painting
• Guide Dog Displays

Yorkshire Carnegie need your support so come along and cheer them on!

YORKSHIRE SQUAD

Andrew GALE (capt), Joe SAYERS, Adam LYTH, Phil JAQUES, Alex LILLEY, Jonny BAIRSTOW (wk), Gary BALLANCE, Joe ROOT, Adil RASHID, Azeem RAFIQ, Iain WARDLAW, Steve PATTERSON, Moin ASHRAF, Oliver HANNON-DALBY.

Yorkshire's squad system mentality kicked in shortly after the LV= County Championship win against Leicestershire when it was decided to rest Ryan Sidebottom and Anthony McGrath for this CB40 match and draft in Iain Wardlaw and Alex Lilley.