Yorkshire pace bowler Nick Thornicroft is to join Essex on a month's loan and will be available for their Championship match against Durham which starts at Riverside next Thursday.

Thornicroft, 20, becomes the first Yorkshire player to join another county under the loan system and the deal can be extended on a fortnightly basis, subject to the agreement of both parties.

A former England Under 19s bowler, Thornicroft made his debut against Lancashire at Old Trafford in 2002 to become the youngest player to make his first appearance in a Roses match.

Yorkshire, meanwhile, beat Leeds Bradford Universities by five wickets at Headingley yesterday.

At 12 for three at the start of the final day and still 34 runs in arrears, Leeds Bradford recovered after the loss of two early wickets and made 161, which left Yorkshire a victory target of 116.

The resistance came from captain James Duffy who played some perfect cover drives on his way to 49, and Lancashire seconds off-spinner-batsman, Qasim Ali, who remained unbeaten on 47.

Although Yorkshire's senior strike bowler, Chris Silverwood, finished with three wickets he struggled and seems unable to regain his old pace and accuracy.

After Duffy hit him for six and four in the same over that Ryan Bradshaw also struck four to the mid-wicket boundary, Silverwood cut a forlorn figure.

John Blain also claimed three wickets in the second innings and there were two for Richard Pyrah who had Duffy caught behind before trapping Danny Jones lbw with his next ball.

Chris Taylor and Joe Sayers began Yorkshire's reply but Taylor soon suffered his second disappointment of the match, gently patting back a return catch to Eaglestone after the ball had stopped on him.

Michael Lumb was bowled by Danny Jones and Richard Pyrah and Andrew Gale fell in the space of three balls to Eaglestone. There was a break for rain after tea at 103 for four after which Sayers steered Tom Glover into the slips for 39 off 66 balls with six fours.