YORKSHIRE endured a mixed bag of results at the weekend, but the upshot is that they have won two of their opening three Vitality Blast North Group games.
The Vikings had started their T20 campaign strongly with an eight-wicket win over Worcestershire Rapids at Headingley on Thursday night.
But 24-hours later, Leicestershire launched their Blast season in spectacular style with a thumping seven-wicket win over Yorkshire at the Uptonsteel County Ground.
After the highs of opening night, the Vikings were brought crashing back to earth in the East Midlands.
They totalled a below par 151-7 batting first, captain Shan Masood’s 45 from 32 balls standing out amid a bitty team effort, which was heavily damaged by Josh Hull’s 3-28.
There were decent cameos from new signing Donovan Ferreira (26) and Jordan Thompson (25 not out), as Yorkshire did at least recover from a perilous 116-7.
But that moderate target of 152 to win soon appeared minuscule after Foxes openers and Sol Budinger (50) and Rishi Patel (30) smashed six sixes and six fours in the first five overs.
Their stand of 79 in 36 balls turned the chase into a cruise as the Foxes galloped to 155-3 from 14.1 overs.
Jafer Chohan took 2-32 from his four overs, the only Yorkshire bowler to maintain any control on the game.
Fortunately, Yorkshire enjoyed a much happier outing on Sunday afternoon, as they cruised to a 29-run win over Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.
Thompson was the star man, returning miserly figures of 3-18 from his four overs, including his 100th career wicket in the Blast, to back up a crucial quickfire 20.
Dom Bess and Matt Revis also shared two wickets apiece as the Vikings restricted the Steelbacks to 157-8 chasing 187 to win.
Ravi Bopara had kept the hosts in the hunt with 35 from 21 balls, to follow bowling figures of 4-34 and Ricardo Vasconcelos made 37, but with wickets falling regularly, the momentum was all with the Vikings.
Former England T20 teammates Joe Root (35) and Dawid Malan (41) got Yorkshire to an explosive start, putting on 67 in 8.1 overs before Yorkshire faltered to 100-4 in the 13th over.
But a fifth wicket partnership of 64 between Masood (36no) and Dom Bess (28) steadied the ship, while some late power-hitting from Thompson helped them up to 186-6.
The Vikings are not back in action until this Sunday, when they host Derbyshire Falcons at Headingley in the fourth North Group game of the season.
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