FOUR wickets for Steve Patterson helped to keep Yorkshire’s slim hopes of Clydesdale Bank 40 success alive with a seven-wicket victory over Worcestershire at New Road.

But, having already lost three matches, they will almost certainly have to win all of their seven remaining Group A fixtures to stand a chance of the semi-finals.

The second four-wicket haul of his one-day career, Patterson led the way as the hosts were restricted to 155-9 from their 40 overs.

Captain Andrew Gale then anchored the reply with 56 off 89 balls and Adam Lyth added a confidence-boosting 49 as the win was clinched with 21 balls to spare.

Patterson and Oliver Hannon-Dalby took two wickets apiece with the new ball to reduce Worcester to 30-4 in the ninth over – and, despite a fifth-wicket stand of 88 between James Cameron (51) and Aneesh Kapil (44), they never recovered.

Hannon-Dalby and Gary Ballance both dropped catches, letting Kapil off the hook on 42 and Cameron on 50.

Leg-spinner Adil Rashid also chipped in with a couple of wickets as Worcester lost five for 32 runs to slip from 118-4.

Wicketkeeper Simon Guy was sharp behind the stumps, taking two catches and a superb stumping down the leg-side to get rid of lefthander Neil Pinner while stood up to Patterson.

Gale and Ballance (27) then shared 59 inside 11 overs for the first wicket in reply. But Ballance was stumped by Ben Scott as he needlessly tried to launch Yorkshire born left-arm spinner Shaaiq Choudhry back over his head.

Gale and Lyth added 73 inside 19 overs before the former was caught at midwicket off the part-time spin of Moeen.

Lyth was later run out going for two to deep backward square-leg as he tried to confirm his half-century.

SCORECARD

Worcestershire v Yorkshire
At New Road.
Worcestershire
M M Ali c Guy b Patterson 9
V S Solanki b Hannon-Dalby 4
A N Kervezee c Guy b Hannon-Dalby 12
N D Pinner st Guy b Patterson 2
J G Cameron c Ballance b Patterson 51
A Kapil lbw b A U Rashid 44
G M Andrew c Lyth b Patterson 3
B J Scott c Wainwright b A U Rashid 7
S H Choudhry not out 8
C D Whelan b Hodgson 6
J D Shantry not out 2
Extras (lb4 w3 pens 0) 7
Total 9 wkts (40 overs) 155
Fall: 1-14 2-14 3-26 4-30 5-118 6-129 7-137
8-138 9-150
Bowling: Hannon-Dalby 6-1-22-2. Patterson
8-2-28-4. Hodgson 5-0-14-1. Wainwright 8-
0-27-0. A U Rashid 8-0-41-2. Root 5-1-19-0.

Yorkshire
A W Gale c Shantry b M M Ali 56
G S Ballance st Scott b Choudhry 27
A Lyth run out 49
J E Root not out 11
G L Brophy not out 0
Extras (b4 lb5 w4 pens 0) 13
Total 3 wkts (36.3 overs) 156
Fall: 1-59 2-132 3-154
Bowling: Shantry 6-0-20-0. Andrew 4.3-0-
23-0. Whelan 5-1-20-0. M M Ali 8-0-38-1.
Choudhry 8-1-25-1. Kapil 5-1-21-0.
Yorkshire beat Worcestershire by 7 wkts