Worcestershire v Yorkshire: Patterson hits stride to offer hope for Yorkshires

It was also an apposite description for a game between the bottom two sides in CB40 Group A – one neither could afford to lose as they sought to stay alive.

Having each lost three of their opening four matches, Yorkshire and Worcestershire knew defeat at New Road would leave them a near impossible task of reaching the semi-finals.

While Yorkshire still retain that hope following a seven-wicket victory, Worcestershire do not barring a mathematical miracle.

After Worcestershire won the toss on a bright and blustery day, they made just 155-9 from their 40 overs.

Only James Cameron (51) and 17-year-old Aneesh Kapil (44) made notable contributions, Steve Patterson checking the home side’s progress with 4-28.

Yorkshire eased to their target with 21 balls to spare.

Andrew Gale scored 56 and Adam Lyth 49, while Joe Root finished unbeaten on 11 and Gerard Brophy undefeated on nought.

If you think Yorkshire have had a difficult start to the season, spare a thought for Worcestershire.

Steve Rhodes’s men have lost their opening six County Championship games to make relegation in that competition practically inevitable.

Any fixture against Worcestershire these days is akin to a walkover.

They were certainly no match for a Yorkshire side who barely had to get out of second gear to beat them before an understandably muted West Midlands crowd.

Worcestershire were immediately in trouble as they slipped to 14-2 inside four overs.

Oliver Hannon-Dalby bowled Vikram Solanki with a good ball that clipped the top of off-stump before Moeen Ali fell to a fine catch by Simon Guy standing up to the stumps off Patterson.

Guy continues to perform well in his role as an emergency wicketkeeper, with Brophy fit to play here only as a specialist batsman following the thumb injury that kept him out of the Roses match.

Guy has always been a cricketing livewire and there was no keeping him out of the action in the game’s early stages.

The 32-year-old produced a brilliant leg-side stumping to remove Neil Pinner for two off Patterson before catching Alex Kervezee for 12 off Hannon-Dalby as Worcestershire plunged to 30-4 in the ninth over.

The home side sorely needed to steady the ship and did so through an impressive stand of 88 between Cameron and Kapil in 20 overs.

Kapil, a 17-year-old making his competitive debut, worked the ball around nicely before he was fifth out with the total on 118, lbw to Adil Rashid, who was not quite at his best at the venue where he took 11 wickets in the opening Championship match of the season.

Kapil’s dismissal was a particularly welcome sight for Hannon-Dalby, who had dropped him at short third-man in the previous over off Root when the batsman scooped up a simple chance.

Yorkshire’s fielding was not at its sharpest as Hannon-Dalby allowed another ball to slip through his grasp for four and Gary Ballance dropped a straightforward opportunity at deep mid-wicket when Cameron, on 50, skied Rashid.

Ballance’s mistake was another that did not prove costly, however, the Zimbabwean making amends by catching Cameron off Patterson at mid-off in the following over.

Gareth Andrew was caught at long-on, Ben Scott pulled Rashid lazily to mid-wicket, while Chris Whelan was bowled as Worcestershire threatened to commit the cardinal sin of failing to bat out their quota of overs.

The home side, in truth, appeared to have little idea how to construct an innings or knock the bowlers off their lines and lengths – an essential requirement in one-day cricket.

The same could hardly be said of Gale’s Yorkshire, who proceeded to their target in comfortable style.

With Jonny Bairstow on England Lions’ duty, Gale promoted Ballance to open the innings alongside him and the pair enjoyed themselves in the early-evening sunshine.

Ballance played the stroke of the day when he cover-drove Andrew in the direction of the Cathedral as he furthered his case for a run in the first team.

The 21-year-old has been in good form of late and is beginning to thrive on greater opportunities.

Ballance would have been disappointed with his dismissal, however, the left-hander stumped for 27 when he tried to smash Shaaiq Choudhry – a left-arm spinner who hails from Rotherham – into the middle of next week.

But Ballance would appear to have much to offer in all forms of the game and could be a long-term replacement for Anthony McGrath.

Gale was Gale – quick to seize any chance to drive down the ground or to whip the ball away with a flick of the wrist.

The captain showed all his experience before being caught at mid-wicket shortly before the finish, ending a stand of 73 in 19 overs with Lyth, who was then run-out from deep backward square-leg by Alex Kervezee going for a second run to complete his fifty.

Yorkshire, who rested Ryan Sidebottom with one eye on tomorrow’s Championship match against Somerset, probably need to win their remaining seven games to reach the semi-finals.

Their next CB40 match is not until July 17 when they play Middlesex at Headingley Carnegie – another example of a cock-eyed fixture list.