Yorkshire CCC are enjoying a T20 campaign to remember, as victory over Roses rivals Lancashire on Friday saw them extend their lead at the top of their group. The 19-run victory over Lancashire was the White Rose’s fifth in the competition and leaves them two points clear of their nearest rivals Nottinghamshire, and in a strong position to secure their progress through to the knockout stages.
Friday’s win was achieved courtesy largely due to Yorkshire’s overseas contingent. Batting first, Yorkshire were indebted to Australian opener Phil Jacques and South African batsman David Millar who top scored with an explosive 54 off only 30 balls, which included three sixes and four fours. Thanks to the efforts of these two and other useful contributions, Yorkshire were able to amass a menacing total of 180-6.
Lancashire produced a respectable batting display, and helped by a half century from Steven Croft came close to their target before eventually falling short, and handing victory to their archrivals from across the Pennines. Again the star performer for Yorkshire was another overseas player, this time Mitchell Starc. The Australian fast bowler produced a sublime display picking up two wickets and bowling at an economical rate, to thwart the challenge of Lancashire.
So it was first blood to Yorkshire in the T20, however Lancashire will be looking for revenge this coming Friday when the White Rose make the trip to Old Trafford. However Friday’s match only constitutes part of a crucial few days in Yorkshire’s T20 campaign. Before the trip to Old Trafford, Yorkshire have to travel to Trent Bridge to face second placed Nottinghamshire, before closing off the group stages on Sunday by hosting Derbyshire. A challenging week of cricket lies ahead, and one which will help to decide how far Yorkshire can progress in this year’s T20.
Speaking of Derbyshire, they managed to add to Lancashire’s woes on Sunday afternoon, defeating the Red Rose by three wickets in a low scoring encounter. Being a Derbyshire fan myself, it was a delight to see the team billed as the perennial strugglers defeat one of the top counties, and being at Old Trafford to witness the win made it even sweeter. Only when you attend a professional match do you realise the high standards. TV may have done wonders for sport, but it often alters perceptions, as you can’t tell how fast the ball travels when released by the bowlers, and how hard and far the batsmen hit it. Bowling at 90mph or cracking a cricket ball 100m are only figures, and are hard to visualise until you actually see the action in flesh.
Lancashire have struggled slightly in this campaign, much to the delight of Yorkshire fans I’d imagine, and the defeat to Derbyshire severely dents any hopes of qualification. Lancashire were put into bat by visiting captain Wayne Madsen, and it looked like an excellent decision after Stephen Moore was stumped third ball off the bowling of Wes Durston, who put in a MOTM display. Durston picked up two wickets in his four overs, whilst former Pakistan international Rana Naved finished with figures of 3-20 off his allocated overs to leave Lancashire with a below par total of only 122-8, despite the best efforts of Croft who top scored with 48 and an unbeaten 27 by Paul Horton.
In response Wes Durston launched an early onslaught against the Lancashire bowlers, smashing three sixes and five fours, to reach fifty in only six overs and propel Derbyshire towards their target, way ahead of the required run rate. However tight bowling by spinners Steven Parry and Gary Keedy slowed the scoring and the dismissal of Durston for 56, saw Derbyshire lose momentum and slip to 85-3. Derbyshire then made hard work of chasing down the remaining runs in the final overs losing wickets at a regular rate in the closing stages. But guided by an unbeaten 24 from Chesney Hughes, they managed to scrape past their total with three wickets left and seven balls remaining, as Naved sealed victory by stroking a boundary through the covers when facing a Glenn Chapple hattrick ball. Derbyshire must be wishing they could play Lancashire every day, having beaten them twice yet suffered defeat in all but one other T20 encounter, and that was a rained off match against Nottinghamshire.
So the two sides of the Roses have had contrasting fortunes to date. Whilst Lancashire have struggled, Yorkshire are flying high and sit top of the group. However battle resumes between the two rivals on Friday with Lancashire seeking revenge, and there may be many more twists in the remainder of this year’s T20.