The Bradford League should be going into the last representative match of their centenary season having achieved six wins out of six.

Instead, however, they will face the formidable Pudsey Congs at the Britannia Ground on September 21 having won only five of their six contests.

The Bradford League's first defeat of the campaign came yesterday in a thrilling match against Yorkshire at Undercliffe.

Aided by a typically aggressive century by James Smith (ten fours, five sixes), the Bradford League needed four to win off the last over, bowled by Tim Bresnan.

Smith took a single off the first ball, but then league skipper Matthew Doidge couldn't do anything positive with the remaining five deliveries, being run out off the last.

The Pudsey Congs left-hander drove two balls back to Bresnan, played and missed at another when a bye was declined, and the Bradford League were defeated by a run.

Doidge said afterwards: "I hit the ones that were on target and missed the one that wasn't, but we played well, apart from the last over."

Although Doidge was immediately painted as the villain of the piece, some credit must go to young pace bowler Bresnan, who only conceded 12 runs in his five overs.

Yorkshire's coach Kevin Sharp said: "We snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, and Tim is coming on leaps and bounds."

Yorkshire seemed favourites after scoring 254 for eight, opening bat Chris Taylor underlining what a superb season he is having by scoring 111.

The Undercliffe player, having the advantage of playing on his home wicket, hit 13 fours and two sixes in his innings of a minute under three hours.

He added 91 for the second wicket with skipper Anthony McGrath, whose 44 included six fours and a six; 55 for the sixth wicket with the big-hitting Bresnan (three sixes in his 26) and 51 with wicketkeeper Simon Guy (four fours in 31).

Unusually, there was no wicket for Congs' Naveed Rana ul-Hassan, and the Bradford League's most effective bowler was clubmate Glen Roberts, the left-arm spinner being unable to complete his ten-over spell after being hit in the face by a caught-and-bowled chance.

Baildon's Phil Slater ensured the Bradford League innings had some momentum with a rapid 24, and Ijaz Ahmed was just getting into his stride when he was brilliantly caught low and left-handed by Vic Craven at short midwicket for 27. Left-hander Andy Bethel did his usual sheet-anchor job before being run out for 29 when he was sent back by Smith when looking for a second run.

They had added 67, however, and the pressure really started to mount on Yorkshire during a 95-run fourth-wicket partnership in just 46 minutes between Smith and Barbar Butt, whose 34 included six fours.

After his instinctive catch, Craven proved fallible, dropping Smith off a mishit and Butt off an even simpler chance, also on the midwicket boundary.

And the Bradford League supporters were quick to notice a 'hat-trick' of sorts for the unfortunate Congs all-rounder when he misfielded umpire Ralph Walton's panama hat, which had blown off on what was often a very blustery and sometimes cold day.

Five overs left, 29 wanted, and Rana, who had impressively planted off-spinner Andy Gray over the pavilion, was lbw sweeping to the same bowler after a cameo knock of 13.

Bresnan only conceded two runs in the third-from-last over, but still just eight were needed from 12 balls.

Smith reached his 100 in the penultimate over, paving the way for the final twist.