Yorkchire CCC wilt in the sun to hand Lancashire CCC easy Royal London Cup Roses win

Clifton Park was a picture of summer for the first Roses contest ever played in York.

A crowd of 4,449 turned out at a venue set in 33 acres in the shadow of the Ouse.

They saw Lancashire chase 225 to win by seven wickets, sealed with nine overs left, as Yorkshire followed victory over Northants in their opening game with a heavy defeat in the early August sunshine.

As on Tuesday, when 673 runs were scored at this ground in the Northants match, the pitch looked true and brimful of runs, suggesting an assault on some inviting sized boundaries.

That impression was hardly assuaged during an opening stand of 66 in 11.2 overs between Will Fraine and Harry Duke, after Lancashire won the toss and chose to bowl.

Fraine and Duke both scored hundreds against Northants, sharing a partnership of 209, but once they were separated here the home side’s innings rather fell away, like this summer’s day that has now become a memory.

For barely had observers slapped on more sun cream, than 66-1 had become 75-3, then 112-5, and then 137-7, with only some useful contributions from Jonny Tattersall, Tom Loten and Ben Coad lifting Yorkshire to 224, the hosts dismissed with nine balls left.

A succession of mistimed shots sending catches to fielders, along with a sprinkling of lbw decisions, constrained momentum and the construction of partnerships as Yorkshire stuttered to a below-par score.

As spectators packed the blue seats of the temporary stand opposite the pavilion, the well-heeled confines of the white marquee and ringed the boundary with their portable chairs, with barely enough space to squeeze an ice-cream between them, Yorkshire showed one change to the side that beat Northants, all-rounder Matthew Waite replacing pace man Ben Cliff.

Lancashire’s bowling was a touch ill-disciplined in the early stages, Fraine and Duke feeding on some loose stuff while also watching a number of wides sail by and no-balls signalled.

But once Duke defended a catch behind, Yorkshire’s early platform evaporated as Fraine got a leading edge to mid-on, departing for the run-a-ball top score of 41, and Hill was lbw aiming to work across the line.

Will Luxton played perhaps the shot of the day, on-driving Lamb towards the edge of the white marquee, only to be caught behind soon afterwards playing an indeterminate shot.

Waite was caught-and-bowled, Matty Revis sliced to point while trying to pull, and when Dom Bess was lbw sweeping Washington Sundar, Yorkshire were in their 137-7 hole in the 27th over.

Tattersall whipped a couple of nice leg-side boundaries before falling for 34, lbw to spinner Luke Wells, and Yorkshire were grateful for a ninth-wicket stand of 35 in nine overs between Loten and Coad which lifted the score beyond 200.

Loten hit Jack Blatherwick for six over square-leg en route to an unbeaten 32 from 61, Coad chipping in with 20 before skying to long-off. Harry Sullivan was last out lofting to deep backward-square.

Lancashire’s reply began breezily as Wells and Keaton Jennings tucked into Waite, whose first three overs disappeared for 27, including six boundaries.

Wells had a life on 11 when put down by a diving Hill at cover off Coad, a tough chance one-handed, but Coad gained deserved reward soon afterwards when Jennings steered him to slip.

Wells and Josh Bohannon accumulated freely in the heat of the afternoon, Wells launching sixes off Loten (straight), Sullivan (over long-off) and Bess (over mid-wicket), the latter blow making a loud thud as it landed on the pavilion roof.

Wells was dropped for a second time, on 87 by Bess at mid-on off Revis, but added only one more to his tally before pulling the same man to Sullivan at long-leg, his 88 coming from 67 balls with 12 fours and a trio of sixes.

After sharing 102 with Wells in 12.1 overs, Bohannon advanced to 51 before playing-on trying to pull Loten. By then, the game was done, Steven Croft and Sundar completing the formalities, Coad the pick of the bowlers with outstanding figures of 1-19 from 10 overs.