An astonishing evening collapse and a Twenty20-style run chase gave Warwickshire Bearcubs victory by six wickets in their Second Eleven Championship clash at York last night.

At 4.35pm the three-game was heading for a draw. Stefan Piolet then took five wickets in 14 balls for no runs to set up a Warwickshire run chase of 122 in a minimum 17 overs! Twenty20 cricket...and they won off the last possible ball.

On Day 2 a partnership for Warwickshire of 218 was the best against Yorkshire by any county for the fifth wicket in the Second Eleven Championship, and Keith Barker’s 170 was two short of the best score by a Bearcub against the White Rose.

The previous day Yorkshire opener Joe Root, above, amassed 169, hitting 23 fours and six before he was the seventh man out at 356. Yorkshire were all out for 367, but Warwickshire reached 431-8 by the close on Day 2, a lead of 64.

This is what Yorkshire Scorer MICHAEL SNOOK has recorded in his diary about this remarkable match:

4.35 on the third evening: Yorkshire’s second innings was coasting towards a captains’ handshake at 5pm having taken a firs- innings deficit of 104 to a lead of 119 with five wickets in hand. With no more than a couple of dozen overs to be bowled it looked an inevitable draw. Spectators who were of that an opinion were drifting home. What followed was one of the most remarkable finishes to a Championship match there has ever been.

Steffan Piolet - who had taken five of the last six wickets to fall in Yorkshire’s first innings from the northern end - had been largely ignored by Warwickshire captain Dougie Brown apart from an eight-over spell from the scoreboard end early in the innings.

He bowled a maiden over for a sighter, and conceded a single and a four in the next. Then in the space of 14 deliveries he wiped out the rest of Yorkshire’s batting - five wickets for no runs and 11 wickets in the match, beating the previous best for Warwickshire against Yorkshire, set in 1961.

Suddenly, Warwickshire were on a victory charge - 122 needed to win off the last 17 overs. Twenty20 stuff! Absolutely nothing to lose...and no fielding restrictions.

Eight runs an over...nine runs an over...a wicket now and then. Fielders ringed the boundary to no avail. Runs were nudged into the inner field, and when fielders were moved to stop them boundaries came instead. The opening bowlers were changed, and it looked as though the batsmen were losing their way. Only six runs were scored in the 14th over...five - and a wicket - in the 15...three - and another wicket - in the 16th.

The last over: six deliveries, six runs needed - and it was to be bowled by perhaps the least experienced of the Yorkshire bowlers, Jack Hargreaves. A dot ball...a couple of runs...a single off the third, another off the fourth...yet another, a bye, off the fifth.

The scores level. Stopping the quick single was uppermost in the fielders’ minds, delivering a dot ball uppermost in the bowler's. Jack fired it down the legside. The batsman missed...the wicket-keeper missed...the umpire judged it wide. That was that.

The match was won and lost by this, the narrowest of margins.

This all happened in the last 90 minutes of a three-day match, but there had been much to note during the previous days. Yorkshire's first innings featured the first Championship century of the season for opening batsman Joe Root: he contributed to a century stand with Callum Geldart and a half-century partership with younger brother Billy. Piolet got off the mark with six wickets.

Thirteen overs remained in the day, which the Warwickshire openers successfully negotiated, but four wickets were down by 12.30 next morning with not much more than 100 on the board. The fall of the fourth brought together Barker, godson of former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd, and Piolet - with a bat rather than a ball in his hand.

Barker and Piolet ate lunch together...they supped a cup of tea together...and it was not until the fifth over of the evening that Piolet was run out for 85. Their partnership of 218 was the best ever for the fifth wicket against Yorkshire in the Second Eleven Championship. How proud Barker's godfather would have been of his 170 - his personal best since opting for a professional career in cricket instead of football.

Warwickshire batted into the third morning, adding 40 to take their first-innings lead to 104, but the innings was wrapped up in half an hour. It was well into the afternoon by the time Yorkshire had wiped out the deficit, losing only Gary Ballance in the process, but once that point had been reached the bowlers had some success.

Joe Root was bowled - for a half-century to go with his first-innings 169; Charlie Roebuck was caught behind, and both Geldart and Billy Root were trapped leg-before. The lead was a mere 38 and, with only five wickets in hand, a long partnership was needed. Lee Hodgson and James Lee batted calmly past the tea interval for a further half hour until the Warwickshire captain realised his omission in not asking Piolet to take the northern end.

Hodgson contributed an unbeaten 50. What his thoughts were as Piolet knocked over his partners at the other end have not been recorded. He must have been as astounded as the rest of us.

Yorkshire Seconds visit Radlett for the second time in a month next week for their Championship match against MCC Young Cricketers.

Words and Pictures: MICHAEL SNOOK