Middlesex v Yorkshire: Convincing defeat puts place in last four virtually out of reach

That much has been evident in the opening weeks of the season, not only in terms of results but also team selection with key players often rested with the County Championship in mind.

Such a stance may not be to the liking of members who have paid up front for the summer but, in terms of the title race, is perhaps understandable with Middlesex second, just a point off the top.

Yorkshire are a further two places and nine points behind but Andrew Gale’s men have a game in hand, which is why next month’s four-day clash between the two at Lord’s is already shaping up as a potentially pivotal game in the Division One season.

In comparison, yesterday’s YB40 encounter was always going to be small beer, but that did not prevent Radlett’s maiden first-class game being a decent encounter.

Middlesex prevailed, in the end, by a convincing margin of six wickets with 26 balls to spare. It was not, though, the procession towards victory that the final scorecard suggests with the Vikings, at one stage, being strong favourites to clinch the two points.

That was in the wake of Eoin Morgan being dismissed first ball to leave the Panthers on 66-3 in the 12th over. Most of their more reliable performers already being back in the pavilion meant there was a sense of concern among the Middlesex membership.

However, any hopes of Yorkshire claiming back-to-back wins were dashed courtesy of a sublime fourth-wicket partnership between Dawid Malan and Adam Rossington. The pair put on 135 runs in a little under 19 overs to take the game away from the visitors and clinch the Panthers’ first 2013 victory in the one-day format.

For Yorkshire, a third defeat in four outings means any chances of making the semi-finals are all but over despite only having played a third of their games.

Leaving aside the fact Radlett is actually in Hertfordshire and not Middlesex – think Yorkshire playing a home game in Dronfield or, heaven forbid, a Lancastrian outpost such as Colne – first-class cricket’s debut at the picturesque Brunton Memorial Ground proved to be a big success.

In recent years, Middlesex have ploughed in around £500,000 to turn the venue into one capable of hosting county cricket. Southgate has already been jettisoned from the roster of home grounds and judging by yesterday’s opening fixture, Radlett may well usurp Uxbridge in the coming years as the Panthers’ back-up to Lord’s.

A little over 2,000 fans ringed the field, a healthy turnout considering Watford – which sits just three miles away from Radlett – had taken 35,000 fans to Wembley for the Championship play-off final.

A few Yorkshire shirts and caps could be seen among the sun-kissed crowd but the vast majority were rooting for the home side.

In the opening five overs, they had plenty to cheer as, first, Gale skied an ugly shot to Morgan. Toby Roland-Jones was the bowler and was again the beneficiary two overs later when Richard Pyrah, again opening the innings, holed out to Joe Denly at deep square leg.

Considering the Vikings had won the toss and opted to bat, to be two wickets down for 18 was hugely disappointing.

The White Rose was in danger of wilting in the Hertfordshire sun, but respite came in the form of an excellent 85-run partnership for the third wicket between Phil Jaques and Gary Ballance.

The pair batted cautiously at first, a point underlined by 37 deliveries passing between Pyrah hitting his only boundary and Jaques finding the rope for the first time in the ninth over.

After that, however, they found their stride with Ballance leading the way with four towering sixes. The fourth of those, though, was his final contribution, the left-hander perishing next ball by chipping into the safe hands of Paul Stirling at mid-on off Gareth Berg.

A fine reflex catch by Rossington, standing up to James Harris, then accounted for Adam Lyth before the prized wicket of Jaques fell courtesy of an almighty swish that allowed Morgan to race in from cover and claim the catch.

At 154-5 with a little over 11 overs remaining, Yorkshire could have folded but, instead, Adil Rashid led a fightback with an unbeaten 46 from 36 deliveries. He was put down on 19 when Roland-James spurned a simple return catch but, otherwise, Rashid picked his shots well to hit five boundaries.

Useful support came from Andrew Hodd and Will Rhodes but, even so, Yorkshire’s total of 236-8 seemed around 20-30 runs short of defendable. The Vikings, though, enjoyed a dream start when Iain Wardlaw uprooted two of Sterling’s stumps with only the second ball of Middlesex’s reply. Denly and Dawid Malan then put 65 on for the second wicket before Pyrah bowled the former with a fine delivery.

Moments later, Morgan, in attempting a reverse sweep, was trapped lbw by Rashid for a first-ball duck and Yorkshire sensed victory.

But Malan and Rossington soon banished those thoughts with a fine array of hitting to take the game away from Gale’s men long before Tim Bresnan dismissed the left-handed opener just four runs short of what would have been a deserved century.