Hopes of CB40 progression strengthened by Ballance

As anyone who drove from Leeds to Scarborough yesterday could testify, it certainly felt like an away game for Yorkshire on a day of strength-sapping heat and nose-to-tail traffic.

However, the “visitors” were always the likeliest to enjoy their trip to the seaside, notwithstanding the notorious A64, and so it proved.

Victory by eight wickets was their second in four CB40 games and maintained their hopes – just about – of reaching the semi-finals.

With only one team qualifying from each of the three seven-strong groups, along with the best second-placed side, one can realistically afford no more than four defeats in one’s 12 group games.

As Yorkshire have already lost two matches, against Kent and Sussex, they must effectively win at least six of their remaining eight to qualify. The task is not beyond them, at least not mathematically, although they will face sterner tests than that provided here.

After being sent into bat, Unicorns made a respectable – if hardly formidable – 184, Yorkshire prevailing with 46 balls to spare on the back of an unbeaten 103 by Gary Ballance, his first one-day century for the county.

Perhaps the fact it was a home match explained the frustration of several Unicorns’ players when they arrived at North Marine Road to discover that Yorkshire’s kit was already in the home dressing room.

Old habits die hard, no doubt, but it was difficult to treat this as anything other than a home game for a Yorkshire team who were unchanged following their defeat at Hove on Thursday evening.

Yorkshire made a better start with the ball than they did on that occasion, when Mitchell Starc’s opening over disappeared for 21.

This time, Ryan Sidebottom claimed a wicket with the final delivery of the opening over, James Ord chopping on for a duck.

As sea fret swept across North Marine Road, an incongruous sight on this hottest of days, fellow opener Michael Thornely and Tom New set about rebuilding the innings with a stand of 43 in seven overs.

Both batsmen looked well-set when Thornely suddenly fell for 20, well-caught low at slip by Phil Jaques off Sidebottom.

New, the former Leicestershire wicketkeeper, held the innings together from No 3 as wickets steadily tumbled around him.

Anthony McGrath had Jordan Levitt lbw to leave Unicorns 80-3 before Starc captured three wickets in quick succession in a good response to his nightmare evening at Hove, where his eight overs cost 71.

Moin Ashraf bowled intelligently to claim two wickets before Sidebottom bowled last man Steven Cheetham with the final ball of the innings.

New finished unbeaten on 83 from 92 balls with seven fours, extras providing the joint top-score of 20.

In reply, Yorkshire slipped to 26-2 inside six overs when Andrew Gale was lbw to Warren Lee and Phil Jaques caught behind off Glen Querl.

It offered the Unicorns a glimmer of hope which was ruthlessly extinguished by Ballance and Adam Lyth, who added an unbroken 160 in 27 overs.

Ballance, all meaty thumps and masterly timing, played the lead, but opener Lyth was an admirable second violin, finishing unbeaten on 60 from 78 balls with seven fours.

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n CB40 scorecards: Page 11.