Will Bennison’s career-best not enough as Yorkshire CCC's long cup drought goes on

When they last lifted silverware in 2002, Tony Blair was prime minister, Concorde was still flying and Harry Potter had yet to conquer the world.

Twitter didn’t exist. Neither did Facebook. The iPhone was a sketch on a whiteboard in California.

Yorkshire’s last one-day trophy sits so far back in the rear-view mirror that it belongs to a different technological era, a different political era and, quite frankly, a different cricketing universe.

Hopes this would finally be the year the drought came to an end were dashed on a scorching summer’s day in York.

Will Bennison — not even born when Yorkshire won the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy in 2002 — came as close as anyone to breaking the cycle, picking the One-Day Cup quarter-final against Nottinghamshire to make the highest score of his fledgling career, a classy 91 that underpinned Yorkshire’s 273-9 after they were put into bat.

But that total was perhaps 50 runs short of what had seemed likely, and despite losing three wickets in the first 16 balls of their reply, Nottinghamshire won by three wickets with eight balls remaining, securing a place in Sunday’s semi-final against Leicestershire.

Kyle Verreynne scored 105 and Jack Haynes 116 not out, the pair adding 154 for the fifth wicket to help nullify the excellent Ben Coad (5-52).

It was already nudging 30 degrees when play began beneath cloudless blue skies, a stiff breeze stirring the trees around the ground, and Yorkshire wasted no time increasing the heat. Adam Lyth nonchalantly lofted Brett Hutton over mid-wicket and on to the pavilion balcony, the ball retrieved and tossed back by Richard Stevenson, the Nottinghamshire vice-chairman, dapper in a cream blazer that matched the summery surrounds.

At the other end, Will Luxton struck three boundaries in an over from Dillon Pennington – two through mid-wicket, one through the covers – before Lyth pulled Hutton for six towards the scoreboard. When George Munsey fumbled at mid-wicket, Lyth’s clip fizzing through his hands, it looked like being a long day for Nottinghamshire, the mercury climbing along with the scoreboard.

But one-day cricket can fluctuate quickly. Luxton was caught behind off Pennington, who struck again in his next over to remove Lyth, one ball after the opener had driven him handsomely through the covers. From 38-0 to 43-2, the complexion had changed. Nottinghamshire had a foothold. The match was alive.

Step forward Bennison. The 19-year-old, who had announced himself with two fifties in the group stage, batted as though the occasion belonged to him. Two punched offside boundaries came off Hutton, followed by a six helped away off Olly Stone. Bennison reached his third first-team fifty from 69 balls with a pull over mid-on off Ben Martindale, who had been pressed into action after Lyndon James went in the side.

Quick onto anything remotely short, Bennison had so much time that the ball seemed to come to him in slow motion. He found good company in James Wharton, who has been in fine form himself in the One-Day Cup. After successive scores of 38, 68 not out, 40, 75 and 51 not out, Wharton added 44 from 54 balls, sharing 116 with Bennison inside 23 overs. He fell trying to paddle-sweep Farhan Ahmed over the wicketkeeper’s head, the ball looping up instead to give a simple catch.

Bennison, however, was still in command. He danced down the track to launch Farhan over long-off, a stroke of authority. Then, with his hundred in sight, he miscued a pull off Pennington to mid-on, departing to an ovation warmer than the day itself from the crowd of 2,086.

It was the first of two wickets in successive overs, George Hill driving Stone to cover to leave the hosts 207-5 at the end of the 39th over. Another two wickets fell quickly. Fin Bean lofted McCann to long-on, then Sam Whiteman – stepping inside to hit to leg – was bowled by Pennington. Dom Bess chipped in with a breezy 21 before Stone yorked him, then Coad was run out from the final ball. Pennington finished with 4-49.

Nottinghamshire’s chase was soon in disarray. After Jack White dropped Martindale off his first ball and left the field for treatment, Hill struck with his fourth after replacing him: Martindale caught behind. Freddie McCann and Haseeb Hameed were also caught behind off successive balls from Coad as the scoreboard showed 1-3.

George Munsey and Verreynne then steadied the chase, adding 54 inside 10 overs, but Bean claimed his fourth catch when the returning White found the outside edge. As long as Verreynne remained, the tie was not over.

The South African went to a fine half-century from 65 balls, as Haynes reached fifty from 52 deliveries.

Verreynne needed 48 balls for his second fifty but then lofted Coad to Bennison at mid-off. Coad followed up by having Farhan caught at midwicket and bowling Stone. Haynes went to a 93-ball hundred, Pennington playing his part with an unbeaten 22.