Australians Darren Lehmann and Ian Harvey bid farewell to Yorkshire Phoenix last night with sparkling all-round performances to help bring a crucial totesport League win over Leicestershire Foxes
Yorkshire triumphed by 34 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis method and keep alive their hopes of promotion.
Set a revised target of 180 after Yorkshire had made 177 for eight in their 32 overs, Leicestershire struggled to 145 all out, their third consecutive defeat in the competition since winning the Twenty-20 Cup.
Harvey, sharing the new ball with Steve Kirby, made the first breakthrough by bowling Darren Robinson round his legs before Darren Maddy drove wildly at Kirby and was caught behind by Ismail Dawood.
Another wicket went down in Lehmann's first over as John Sadler played straight to Matthew Wood at short mid-wicket and set off for an impossible single, only to find himself stranded.
Lehmann struck again as Jeremy Snape chopped into his stumps and then Richard Dawson took the next three wickets to leave Leicestershire in disarray on 85 for seven.
Anthony McGrath chipped in by getting rid of Claude Henderson and Paul Nixon and, after a last wicket flourish between Charlie Dagnall and Mark Cleary, Harvey returned to have Cleary caught on the boundary.
Winning the toss, Yorkshire's innings was disrupted by a thunderstorm after only 14 deliveries but Harvey had already shown his intent with a couple of boundaries and he continued to flay the bowling on his return in an opening stand of 56 in ten overs with Wood.
After a dismal season with Yorkshire, Harvey was determined to go out with all guns blazing and when Mark Cleary came on he pulled his first ball for six and helped himself to two fours and a single in the same over.
Harvey dashed to 37 off 30 balls with six fours and a six when he attempted to scamper a single and was run out by Sadler's direct hit at the bowler's end.
Wood fell to the next ball which he cut into Snape's at backward point and when Andrew Gale became another run-out victim Yorkshire were 74 for three.
But they were pulled round by a 68 stand in 12 overs between Lehmann and McGrath, the pair preferring to work the ball into open spaces rather than relying on boundary shots.
Lehmann kept the score moving and McGrath was first to go for 27 off 34 balls when he drove Henderson high to Stevens.
Lehmann went on to complete his second half-century of the season in the competition - and his first off county opposition - but when got to 56 from 61 balls with four boundaries he marched down the pitch to Henderson and was stumped.
* England go in search of history today in the final npower Test against West Indies.
They are currently on the verge of becoming only the third England side in history to claim seven successive victories, following the achievements of their predecessors in 1884-85 and 1928-29.
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