Ton-up Hodge

The defeat meant Yorkshire had conceded the double to their opponents, Hodge playing a part in his side's earlier win at Grace Road with 47 and then causing Phoenix more pain last week with 97 in the Twenty20 Cup competition.

Hodge's 104 off 119 balls with 13 fours enabled Leicestershire to reach a competitive 251 for eight which proved too stiff for Yorkshire although 18-year-old paceman Tim Bresnan made a brave attempt to turn the tables with a fiercely struck 61 that narrowed Leicestershire's victory margin to 18 runs.

Yorkshire received a setback before the start when New Zealander Stephen Fleming had to pull out because of a bruised big toe but he should be fit for tomorrow's Twenty20 Cup game against Nottinghamshire at Headingley.

Ryan Sidebottom and Chris Silverwood both made good use of the new ball and at 18 Phil DeFreitas had his leg stump plucked out by Silverwood but it was Yorkshire's last success for a while.

Indian Virender Sehwag and Hodge then piled up 126 together in 24 overs which was Leicestershire's biggest stand for any wicket between the sides and beating the previous best of 117 between James Whitaker and Darren Maddy at Leicester six years' previous.

Sehwag punished Bresnan with five fours in two overs as both batsmen cruised past the 50 mark but when Sehwag had reached 65 off 80 balls with 11 boundaries he clipped Silverwood to Vic Craven on the square leg fence.

Hodge went on to slam five consecutive boundaries off Yuvraj Singh's left-arm spin before blocking out the final delivery of the over and his century came off 116 balls out of 223 for three. After adding one further four he was bowled by Bresnan swinging to leg, his century being the first against Yorkshire in a coloured clothing match since Nasser Hussain's 122 for Essex at Headingley in 1999.

Silverwood failed in his pinch-hitter's role, giving catching practice to Darren Stevens at slip in the first over from Charlie Dagnall but Matthew Wood and Yuvraj both profited from being dropped at backward point by Jeremy Snape and went on add 80 in 13 overs.

The Indian completed a stylish 50 off 44 balls with seven fours and a six but had not added to his score when Snape finally made amends at backward point with a brilliant one-handed catch diving to his left.

Yorkshire lost further wickets as Leicestershire tightened their grip and it seemed all over until Sidebottom joined Bresnan in a ninth wicket stand of 53 in seven overs, Bresnan flexing his arms to hit Snape high over mid-wicket for six and rapping three fours in an over off Maddy to take the total to 200.

Even when Sidebottom was bowled heaving at DeFreitas, Bresnan refused to give in and after completing his maiden half-century in any competition he plundered 17 from another Maddy over with two sixes, a four and a single.

Pieter Swanepoel gave good support but the target was just beyond Yorkshire and Bresnan was caught on the boundary with only two balls remaining for 61 from 51 deliveries with five fours and two sixes.

* Nottinghamshire Outlaws lost on the last ball of the match for the second day running after Owais Shah had scored a classy 106 for the Middlesex Crusaders in the National League at Trent Bridge.

The Outlaws lost by one run after their best hope for a victory, Kevin Pietersen, fell for 82 and despite an unbeaten 36 from Russell Warren it was not quite enough.

Shah's hundred - the first scored by a Middlesex player against Notts in the history of the competition - was a chanceless innings and came off 101 balls with ten fours and two sixes and was a much-needed return after only scoring 81 in the previous six National League matches this season.

The Crusaders started rapidly despite losing skipper Andrew Strauss, bowled by Greg Smith.

Paul Weekes continued on to 40 before Gareth Clough claimed Weekes' and Chad Keegan's wickets off consecutive balls with the two batsmen holing out to mid-off and deep midwicket.