REPORT BY: BRIAN HALFORD

YORKSHIRE preserved their hopes of Metro Bank One Day Cup qualification by beating previously undefeated Warwickshire by six wickets at Rugby School.

The win was set up by George Hill's six for 28, the seventh-best List A figures for Yorkshire, which restricted the home side to 242 for nine. Only Rob Yates (72, 107 balls) ventured beyond the cameo stage as Warwickshire came in around 40 under par.

Yorkshire then reached 246 for four with 33 balls remaining after Harry Duke launched their reply with a vibrant 60 (51 balls) and the chase was seen to a comfortable conclusion by William Luxton (a maiden List century, 105 not out, 121) and Matthew Revis (51 not out, 65). It was a highly impressive chase in light of the loss of their two leading run-scorers in this year’s tournament - captain Shan Masood (international duty) and James Wharton (ankle injury).

Yorkshire’s campaign remains alive ahead of their final group game at Glamorgan tomorrow while Warwickshire’s defeat was a missed opportunity but they remain strongly-placed in the Group B table ahead of their last match, against Nottinghamshire at Rugby.

Yorkshire chose to bowl and imposed early pressure, particularly through Ben Coad and Hill, the latter striking early blows in a spell of 6-1-17-3. Ed Barnard’s middle stump was rattled by a lovely ball before Will Rhodes pulled to mid-wicket. Hamza Shaikh lifted Hill for an audacious six over mid-wicket but the bowler’s revenge arrived two balls later with an lbw decision. Burgess became the fourth batter to fall between 10 and 15 when he swept Dom Bess to deep mid-wicket.

Sustained support at last arrived for Yates from Chris Benjamin (38, 38) in a stand of 56 in 11 overs before both perished slogging. Yates, having passed 50 for the tenth time in 30 List A innings, sought six off Matthew Revis but found only deep mid-wicket. Benjamin’s swipe at Hill found only thin air.

Hill hit the stumps for a third and fourth time when he castled Jake Lintott and Kai Smith (33, 24) and though the tail nurdled 30, the total still appeared inadequate.

Yorkshire’s reply was robustly launched by Duke after debutant Yash Vagadia flicked Olly Hannon-Dalby to short mid-wicket in the fourth over. The 22-year-old has struggled for fluency of late but raced to a 44-ball half-century including nine fours, one of which struck ECB Reporters Network correspondent Brian Halford a painful blow on the ankle.

Warwickshire hit back with three wickets in six overs. Duke top-edged a sweep at Lintott, Finlay Bean pulled Tazeem Ali’s second ball to deep mid-wicket and Jonathan Tattersall edged Lintott to slip.

Luxton and Matt Revis steadied the innings and then advanced it to victory in composed fashion in an unbroken partnership of 129 in 25 overs, Luxton posting his maiden List A ton with a six off Yates on the threshold of victory.