Sun stopped play in Yorkshire Phoenix's Friends Provident Trophy match at Derby tonight but by then it was already beginning to go down on Derbyshire Phantoms' chances of beating the Tykes.

Chasing a stiff 254 target, Derbyshire were struggling on 39 for three in 12.5 overs when batsmen Travis Birt and Greg Smith complained that they were being dazzled by the setting sun and could not see the ball.

Umpires Neil Mallender and Ian Gould conferred at 7.25pm and initially agreed that the players should come off for 20 minutes to let the sun move further across the western sky.

But it actually took an hour before it moved out of the batsmen's gaze and when play resumed eight overs had been lost and Derbyshire faced a revised Duckworth-Lewis target of 235.

It was a near-impossible task for the below-strength side and they did well to recover from 47 for five to 195 all out, thanks to a fighting half-century from Ant Botha and a rapid 37 off 21 balls, with three fours and two sixes, from Bradford-born Jamie Pipe.

There had already been drama at the start of the Derbyshire reply when Yorkshire captain Darren Gough bowled six off-side wides in his first two overs before briefly leaving the field for treatment for stiffness from physiotherapist Scott McAllister.

Deon Kruis took over from Gough and his first ball to Stephen Stubbings was gloved down the legside to Simon Guy.

Opener Dan Birch bravely went on the attack by smacking Kruis for four boundaries in one over before 17-year-old Gary Balance edged a drive at Jason Gillespie to Jacques Rudolph at first slip and Birch was out in identical fashion in Kruis' next over.

Yorkshire were put in to bat on a green-looking pitch but Derbyshire's acting captain, Stubbings, was soon made to realise that there was nothing particularly helpful in it for his bowlers as Craig White and Rudolph produced the best batting of the innings in a fine opening stand of 122 in 25 overs.

Both batsmen benefited from bowling which was too short early on but it was Rudolph who made the running with some well-timed boundaries on both side of the wicket, and when Tom Lungley replaced Wayne White he hit him for three consecutive fours with a cut and two pulls to raise the 50 in only the tenth over.

White also began to open out but after Rudolph had reached his half-century with his ninth four there was an escape for White on 29 when he struck Ian Hunter towards the mid-wicket boundary where he was badly dropped by Birch, who juggled the ball before putting it down.

Yorkshire's highest opening partnership of the season was ended when White went for a big legside hit at left-arm spinner Botha and fell to a nicely judged catch just inside the rope by Wayne White for 43 off 72 balls with six fours.

After his flying start, the boundaries began to dry up for Rudolph but he remained in control until, having reached 81 from 91 deliveries with 12 fours, he attempted to guide Hunter to third man and was bowled off an inside edge.

Anthony McGrath moved steadily to 32 before he skied an intended pull at a short ball from Lungley and was caught by Birt at mid-wicket to make Yorkshire 178 for three, and Younus Khan and Andrew Gale then added 62 together in ten overs.

Younus advanced at a run-a-ball but after moving nimbly to 45 he sliced Lungley to third man, Gale going on to an unbeaten 40, which included the only six of the innings - a powerful leg-side blast at Graham Wagg into the players' enclosure.

Meanwhile, England captain Michael Vaughan is to write a letter to the Home Office in support of the application by former Yorkshire all-rounder Ian Harvey for British citizenship.

The Australian, now with Derbyshire, has had his application rejected three times because of a drink-drive offence in April, and because of the ruling he cannot now play for Derbyshire unless one of their overseas players is out of action for at least a three-week period.

Derbyshire hope that with Vaughan now testifying to the character of Harvey, the Home Office may be persuaded to change their mind.