Yorkshire Phoenix overpower Warwickshire Bears in NUL

Yorkshire Phoenix cruised to an eight-wicket victory over an under strength Warwickshire Bears at Edgbaston last night to damage the home team's hopes of a top two NUL finish.

Yorkshire bounced back from a disappointing run with a professional performance that was all the more pleasing in that it featured some of the lesser lights at a club full of star names.

Having restricted the hosts to an under par 191, Michael Lumb (with a one-day career best of 73 from 70 balls) and Craig White ensured a blistering start for Yorkshire, and set the tone for the innings by hitting Warwickshire's new overseas player, Damien Fleming, out of the attack.

Though White missed a straight one, Blakey soon picked up the theme of the evening, striking Mo Sheikh for three successive boundaries as Yorkshire posted 119-1 off the first 15 overs. Lumb chanced his arm with great effect. He was missed in the fourth and fifth overs at gully and behind the stumps respectively but brought up his 50 off his 45th ball, with a charge down the wicket bringing his 10th four over mid-off as the hosts' performance in the field wilted.

Earlier Warwickshire were indebted to ex-One-Day International player Dougie Brown for helping them to a respectable total of 191-6. The 32-year-old Scot showed a glimpse of the ability that first attracted the national selectors with a brilliantly paced innings of 82 not out, helping his side from the depths of 104-6.

Entering with the score on 66-4 and with Yorkshire's medium-pacers stifling progress on a slow pitch he showed the value of patience and straight hitting in reaching a career-best one-day score. It was not until the closing overs that he broke free, destroying what had been an excellent spell by young Tim Bresnan, with a flicked six over mid-wicket following a reverse sweep for four to show the spirit of Dermot Reeve is still alive at the ground.

Brown received good support from another former England man, 35-year-old Neil Smith, in an unbroken stand of 87.

Those two apart it was hard work for the injury-weakened hosts. Having chosen to bat they were soon struggling against the 17-year-olds Nicholas Thornicroft and Tim Bresnan. Bresnan induced pinch-hitter, Neil Carter, to play-on and Wagh edged a forcing shot off Thornicroft, before Ostler got a leading edge to Craig White at short cover.

Ian Bell, whose increasingly tortuous season reached its nadir with an injury induced omission from either of the winter touring squads, slashed to cover a little recklessly off the increasingly canny Ryan Sidebottom, and a miserly spell from the pace-less Ashley McGrath earned the deserved reward of Mike Powell's wicket.

But Brown savaged Bresnan's figures with 31 from his final two overs to leave the visitors with what appeared to be a challenging target under lights. But the way Phoenix responded suggested that even another 100 runs may have been required for victory.