Yorkshire ended their season in a blaze of glory with a hint of better things to come as Phoenix shot down Kent Spitfires by 79 runs at Headingley yesterday in the Norwich Union League.
They never looked back after Australian Matthew Elliott and Anthony McGrath thrashed the ball to all parts of the field in an unbroken fourth wicket stand of 198 in just 25 overs, which rushed Yorkshire to 299 for three.
Kent made a positive start to their reply but the target proved well beyond them once Australia's captain Steve Waugh was run out by Elliott and they were all out for 220 with eight overs remaining.
Elliott smashed 115, Yorkshire's biggest knock of the season in the competition.
The tall left-hander made three centuries in six one-day innings and this faultless effort contained 11 fours and two sixes and came off exactly 100 balls.
At times McGrath was even more destructive while charging to 85 from 74 deliveries with five fours and three sixes.
It was rich entertainment for the appreciative crowd and so firmly in command were Elliott and McGrath that 105 runs gushed from the last ten overs, their 199 stand being the second highest for any wicket by Yorkshire.
With Craig White, Michael Lumb and Richard Blakey also contributing, the fans were able to applaud 27 fours and seven sixes in a record score for a county league match at Headingley, the previous best being 260 for six against Lancashire ten years ago.
Tim Bresnan made a quick breakthrough for Yorkshire in his first over as Kent's one-day captain, Matthew Fleming, said a disappointing farewell to county cricket by mistiming a drive for Ryan Sidebottom to take an easy catch at mid-on.
Bresnan and fellow 17-year-old paceman Nick Thornicroft were given some rough treatment, Ealham driving one of two sixes in an over from Bresnan on to the football stand roof.
But Sidebottom came on to spread-eagle Ealham's middle and off-stumps after he had slammed 35 from 26 balls with five fours and two sixes.
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