Yorkshire Phoenix lost to Surrey Lions by two runs at Headingley yesterday after Darren Gough needed to hit the last ball of the match from Azhar Mahmood for four to win the game but could only manage a single in dreadful light.

Beaten by one run the previous Sunday, victory for Yorkshire seemed assured this time with two overs remaining when they stood on 197 for five and just six wanted.

Michael Vaughan and Vic Craven had already put on 119 together and Vaughan lashed Rikki Clarke's first ball towards the mid-wicket boundary but was run out by Ian Ward's throw to the wicketkeeper as he tried to dash a second run.

In deepening gloom which made it extremely difficult to see the ball, Richard Dawson was yorked at the end of the over and the score was still on 198 when Richard Blakey's stumps were hit by Azhar's third ball of the last over.

Steve Kirby was dropped at deep point by Adam Hollioake off the penultimate ball but managed to scramble a single and then Gough was only able to do the same when a four was needed.

The frenzied final moments left Yorkshire bottom of the National League First Division table while leaders Surrey took another big step towards lifting the title.

It was a bitterly disappointing result after England captain Vaughan had tuned up nicely for the final Test by smacking his highest score in the competition of 90 from 112 balls with seven boundaries.

Vaughan was superbly supported by the cool-headed Craven who contributed 47 off 75 balls with six fours before he was run out by Clarke who kicked the ball into the stumps off his own bowling.

Craven was only playing because Yorkshire's new Australian signing, Damien Martyn, fell sick during Saturday night after arriving in Leeds earlier in the day. He wanted to make his debut in the match but is now anxious to be fully recovered in time for the championship clash with Somerset at Headingley on Wednesday.

Yorkshire asked Surrey to bat first and it took Alistair Brown 15 deliveries to open his account but he then started smashing the ball around in his usual style, picking up Matthew Hoggard for an enormous six into the West Stand which was casually caught by a spectator and then straight-driving Gough high over the rope.

Ward progressed even more rapidly to 22 with four boundaries before popping up a simple catch to Blakey off a mistimed hook at Hoggard, the ball at first appearing to come off the batsman's helmet.

Brown, with three National League centuries already under his belt against Yorkshire, continued his assault and dashed to 50 from 49 balls with six fours and three sixes, Anthony McGrath then spread-eagling his stumps to make Surrey 91 for two and trigger a collapse which saw them slump to 126 for six.

Graham Thorpe, desperate for a good score before his return to the Test scene, was out for only two, cutting McGrath hard to Matthew Wood at backward point, and the Yorkshire captain went on to pick up the wickets of his opposite number, Hollioake, and Mahmood when they planted catches down Kirby's throat at long leg, McGrath returning career-best figures of four for 41.

Kirby claimed the important wickets of England left-hander Mark Butcher and Jon Batty and Surrey would have been far short of their final total but for a steadying 46 not out off 72 balls from Clarke.