Middlesex v Yorkshire
Yorkshire Bank 40

If YORKSHIRE’S director of professional cricket Martyn Moxon is correct, then the White Rose are already in the last chance saloon when it comes to their hopes of winning this season’s Yorkshire Bank 40.

After defeat to Somerset earlier this month, he said that hopes of progressing to the semi-finals of the competition would be over if they were to lose more than three group games.

They’re now once defeat away from surpassing that figure after a heavy defeat at Middlesex yesterday.

The Vikings were beaten by six wickets and are now second bottom of their section with only one victory from their opening four matches in the competition.

This defeat was masterminded by Middlesex’s Dawid Malan, who struck a superb 96 at Radlett CC, which was hosting its maiden first-class game.

It proved the difference, after Yorkshire posted 236 for 8 from their allotted overs after winning the toss and electing to bat first.

Phil Jaques led the way with a season’s best 81, but although Gary Ballance impressed with a brisk 40 and Adil Rashid ended on 46 not out, the Vikings never really got going as they would have hoped on a decent batting wicket.

Toby Roland-Jones was the main reason with 4-44, including the wicket of Tim Bresnan for a duck on his return from England duty, while James Harris, who Yorkshire tried to sign from Glamorgan, finished with 3-54.

The Vikings total potentially looked a match-winning total at the halfway stage, and when Iain Wardlaw clean bowled Paul Sitrling with a yorker two balls into Middlesex’s reply, hopes were high amongst the sizeable Yorkshire contingent in the 2,000.

However, Joe Denly then made a fluent 38 to calm the Panthers nerves and although Eoin Morgan fell for a golden duck on his return from the IPL when tried to reverse sweep Rashid, Adam Rossington then joined Malan at the crease for the game-changing partnership.

The duo added 135 for the fourth wicket to effectively win the game for Middlesex, before Malan departed four runs short of what would have been his third century of 2013.

With exactly ten overs remaining, Middlesex moved to 201 for four, needing only 36 to win.

Rossington closed on 79 not out to record his highest score in the one-day game.

SCORECARD

Middlesex v Yorkshire
At Radlett.

Yorkshire
A W Gale c Morgan b Roland-Jones ....11
R M Pyrah c Denly b Roland-Jones ...... 6
P A Jaques c Morgan b Harris ..............81
G S Ballance c Stirling b Berg ...............40
A Lyth c Rossington b Harris ................14
A U Rashid not out ................................46
A J Hodd b Roland-Jones .....................21
T T Bresnan c Stirling b Harris .............. 0
W M Rhodes c Dexter b Roland-Jones 10
I Wardlaw not out .................................. 0
Extras (lb3 w4)...........................7
Total 8 wkts Innings Complete (40 overs) 236
Fall: 1-12 2-18 3-103 4-153 5-154 6-206 7-
207 8-233
Bowling: Roland-Jones 8-1-44-4. Rayner 8-
0-39-0. Harris 8-0-54-3. Stirling 3-0-16-0. T
J Murtagh 4-0-27-0. Berg 4-0-29-1. Dexter
5-0-24-0.

Middlesex
P R Stirling b Wardlaw .......................... 0
D J Malan c Hodd b Bresnan ................96
J L Denly b Pyrah ..................................38
E J Morgan lbw b A U Rashid ............... 0
A M Rossington not out ........................79
N J Dexter not out .................................15
Extras (lb6 w1 nb2)....................9
Total 4 wkts (35.4 overs)........237
Fall: 1-0 2-65 3-66 4-201
Did Not Bat: G K Berg, O P Rayner, T S
Roland-Jones, J A R Harris, T J
Bowling: Murtagh.Wardlaw 7-0-39-1. Bresnan 7-0-
45-1. Ashraf 3.4-0-22-0. Pyrah 6-0-42-1. A
U Rashid 8-0-49-1. Lyth 2-0-16-0. Rhodes
2-0-18-0.

Middlesex beat Yorkshire by 6 wkts