YORKSHIRE will begin life in the new P20 league as a second division side after concluding their involvement in this season’s Twenty20 Cup with a miserable fourth straight defeat.
They were bowled out for just 127 against Derbyshire at a packed Headingley.
The Tykes needed to win and hope a combination of results would allow them to finish third in the North Division and so qualify for the top flight of the new competition next season.
They were in with a shout after Derbyshire made a par score of 164, but Yorkshire have developed an unwelcome habit of capitulating in uninspiring fashion if and when Andrew Gale is dismissed – and yesterday was no different.
Gale and Jacques Rudolph helped the hosts explode out of the blocks by hammering half of the first 14 deliveries of the match to the boundaries at all corners of the ground but as soon as the openers had been removed Yorkshire’s batting disintegrated spectacularly.
Gale made 26 before chipping to Chris Rogers at cover off Tim Groenewald before Yorkshire somehow managed to turn 42 for one into 94 for seven. Rudolph was next to go when he was stumped by James Pipe for 24 and that proved to be only a taste of what was to come.
The soon to be retired Michael Vaughan will be glad he left before the onslaught started after he was replaced in the team by Anthony Mc- Grath. The skipper must have thought it was going to be his day after winning a rare toss but he was one of very few to offer any resistance or come out of the game with credit.
McGrath was quickly into his stride with a big six straight down the ground off Groenewald but his momentum was more than stalled by a torrent of wickets.
He batted alongside six partners before, with one eye on the scoreboard, he was caught for 29 by Jake Needham off Greg Smith.
The top three aside, Yorkshire’s other batsmen offered only 45 runs between them in a middle order and tail rescue job that never got going.
Eight thousand turned out to see the game but parts of a very good gate began to vent their frustration at a Yorkshire collapse that was made to look only slightly less embarrassing by Deon Kruis’ late quickfire 22.
Kruis and Azeem Rafiq are more than capable of making runs when needed but with their side 44 shy with one over to bowl it would have taken more than a miracle to get over the line as the hosts eventually came up 37 runs short.
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