Yorkshire book quarter-final spot

Adam Lyth and Alex Lees dashed to the 152 target with more than 20 overs to spare. Lyth ended unbeaten on 67 from 81 deliveries with eight fours and a six and Lees had 69 off 99 balls with 10 boundaries.

Yorkshire strengthened their hold at the top of North Group and are now almost certain of getting a home tie in the last-eight draw.

Derbyshire can still qualify themselves but need to beat Gloucestershire in their final group match at Derby next week to stand a reasonable chance.

Their options were reduced when opening paceman Mark Footitt was ordered out of the attack by umpires Peter Hartley and Mark Benson at 51 for none for intimidatory bowling in an over which included a beamer and three short-pitched deliveries.

But even had Footitt continued after his 4.5 overs, it would hardly have made any difference with Lyth and Lees showing aggressive intent in registering their fifth century opening stand of the season in all forms of cricket.

Derbyshire have every reason to feel sick and tired of Lees, who went into the game unbeaten with 403 runs from his three previous innings against them - 275 in the Championship at Chesterfield last year and 61 and 67 in the T20 Blast.

Yorkshire had 64 on the board in 12 overs by the interval and after the break Lees cut Scott Elstone’s first delivery for four. Two balls later he produced a similar shot to complete his half-century from 66 balls with seven fours, the stroke also taking his side into three figures.

Lyth pulled Tony Palladino for six over mid-wicket and consecutive boundaries off Elstone moved him to his 50 off 63 balls with five fours and a six, the winning runs coming soon afterwards - and shortly before a deluge flooded the ground.

Yorkshire’s bowlers gained a stranglehold over Derbyshire from the start of the visitors’ innings and they never released their grip, three wickets apiece for Rich Pyrah and Adil Rashid stifling any hopes of a significant recovery.

The slide began off Tim Bresnan’s first ball of the second over which Wes Durston steered straight into the waiting hands of Rashid at third man, and in the England paceman’s next over Marcus North edged a drive for Andrew Hodd to take a neat catch moving towards first slip.

It was the seventh over before Wayne Madsen’s inside edge to fine leg brought the first boundary of the innings and when Rashid joined the attack Billy Godleman lofted him for a straight four.

But once the score had gone beyond the 50 mark wickets fell thick and fast, Madsen’s inside edge off Pyrah providing Hodd with another catch and two wickets in consecutive balls leaving Derbyshire floundering on 73 for five. Godleman, having reached 36 from 50 deliveries with five fours, cut Pyrah to Lyth at point, and Elstone edged to Lyth who had returned to the slips.

Rashid then cashed in with the next three wickets to leave the innings in tatters at 118 for eight. Gareth Cross drove to Bresnan at mid off in the leg-spinner’s first over back, David Wainwright was caught tight on the mid-wicket boundary by Jack Leaning in the same over that Rashid had dropped a simple return catch and Tony Palladino fell lbw.

Alex Hughes, Derbyshire’ s top-scorer with 43, offered brief retaliation with a straight six which went clean out of the ground at the Trafalgar Square End but Steven Patterson’s next ball provided Leaning with another well-judged catch just inside the mid-wicket rope. The last wicket was also claimed by Patterson who yorked Footitt, leaving Ben Cotton unbeaten on a spirited 18 from 23 balls with three boundaries.

Pyrah finished with three for 25 from his seven overs while Rashid’s three for 45 off 10 overs left him still requiring a further victim to give him 100 wickets in List A cricket.

Yorkshire skipper Andrew Gale said: “It is a very good feeling to be through to the quarter-finals. We have played some very good cricket and I think we can go all the way.

“I always felt we were better equipped for this competition than the Twenty20 and our game plans have worked really well.

“And all credit to Adam Lyth and Alex Lees who have so often played out of their skins to get us off to good starts. It would be nice to have a home draw now and get people coming in through the gates.”