Yorkshire again fail to build on early platform

IF, as now seems likely, the denouement of Yorkshire Carnegie's Twenty20 Cup campaign was effectively brought about by this defeat then there will be plenty for Andrew Gale's side to ponder.

The inquest into how the White Rose county failed to qualify for the quarter-finals will, no doubt, focus on a number of areas.

But if anyone wants a crash course into where it has all gone wrong for Carnegie in the shortest form of the game then they could do a lot worse than watch a DVD of last night's defeat to Warwickshire Bears.

The disappointing 14-run loss neatly encapsulated Yorkshire's Twenty20 season as their maddening inconsistency came to the fore.

After winning the toss and inviting Warwickshire to bat, the visitors seized the initiative with some inspired bowling.

So impressive were Carnegie, in fact, that the Bears, at 93-7 in the 16th over, looked in grave danger of failing to bat out their allocated overs.

That was, however, until some profligate bowling in the closing stages allowed Rikki Clarke to launch a spirited fightback.

A week on from coming so close to preventing Yorkshire from claiming victory in a thrilling County Championship encounter at Headingley, the

in-form 28-year-old plundered an invaluable 39 runs from 29 deliveries.

Then, once Clarke had been dismissed, Chris Woakes assumed the mantle of Yorkshire's chief tormentor to help Warwickshire post a respectable

145-8.

In reply, Yorkshire again started promisingly with Herschelle Gibbs and Adam Lyth making light of not only a 26-minute stoppage for rain but also the early loss of captain Gale.

However, an untypically loose shot from Gibbs in the fifth over with the total on 41 broke up the partnership.

Lyth then followed the South African back to the visitors' dugout three overs later after treading on his stumps and, from thereon in, the balance was always with the home side.

Jacques Rudolph and, later, Clint McKay did offer some late resistance but there was no denying the Bears, who sealed victory courtesy of three wickets for Keith Barker in the final over.

Director of professional Martyn Moxon said: "I would think our chances of reaching the quarter-finals are now slim.

"Derbyshire got rained off so we will have to look at the table but I think it is a pretty slim chance.

"We definitely have to win both games but whether that will be enough is debatable. I would think it unlikely (Yorkshire will qualify).

"It is very frustrating because it was a game we arguably should have won from the positions we got in when batting and bowling.

"We lost too many wickets in the middle period of our innings. We just didn't bat well enough."

Earlier in the evening, it had all gone so well for Yorkshire after a devastating mid-innings spell of six overs had seen Carnegie take a firm grip on proceedings as the Bears lost three wickets while mustering just 12 runs.

The dismissal of Jonathan Trott by David Wainwright, back in competitive action after two months out through injury and loss of form, was the catalyst.

Richard Pyrah maintained the pressure with a miserly over that yielded just two singles before Adil Rashid tempted Jim Troughton into a sweep that resulted in a top edge arrowing towards the safe hands of McKay at short fine-leg.

Another economical over from Pyrah was then the prelude to Wainwright coming back into the attack to bowl a magnificent over that saw both

Darren Maddy and Keith Parker perish.

Maddy was the first to go, charging down the pitch with intent only to mis-cue and hole out to Gibbs on the long-off boundary.

Barker was then deceived by a deliciously flighted delivery from Wainwright to leave the Bears in deep trouble.

Warwickshire, at 67-5 with just eight overs remaining, clearly needed someone to ride to the rescue.

Seven days earlier, Clarke had struck a pain-staking unbeaten 127 in more than six hours to leave the White Rose county facing a race against time to clinch victory in the County Championship.

This time, it was a more explosive Clarke intent on frustrating the Yorkshire attack as he cracked a quickfire 39 before flicking McKay to Patterson at fine-leg.

Any fears among the home fans in a crowd of around 4,000 that Clarke's resistance may be in isolation were then put to rest as Woakes took up the mantle in the closing stages.

The tail-ender plundered 27 from just 12 balls and, along with Clarke, changed the course of the game and left Yorkshire all but dumped out of the Twenty20 Cup.

DISPLAY OF THE DAY

Rikki Clarke

In a low-scoring encounter, the in-form Bears batsman's knock of 39 proved vital in changing the course of the game.

Warwickshire v Yorkshire

Edgbaston: Warwickshire beat Yorkshire by 14 runs. Yorkshire won toss.

Warwickshire

I J L Trott c & b Wainwright 19

N M Carter b Patterson 27

K H D Barker b Wainwright 10

J O Troughton c McKay b A U Rashid 3

D L Maddy c Gibbs b Wainwright 3

T R Ambrose lbw b Patterson 3

R Clarke c Patterson b McKay 39

A G Botha c Pyrah b Patterson 2

C R Woakes not out 27

S A Piolet not out 4

Extras b2 w2 nb4 8

Total 8 wkts (20 overs) 145

Fall: 1-44 2-48 3-58 4-63 5-65 6-83 7-93 8-123.

Did Not Bat: Imran Tahir.

Bowling: A U Rashid 4 0 17 1, McKay 4 0 38 1, Wainwright 4 0 32 3, Patterson 4 0 25 3, Pyrah 4 0 31 0.

Yorkshire

A W Gale c Botha b Carter 1

A Lyth hit wicket b Piolet 31

H H Gibbs b Barker 15

J A Rudolph b Imran Tahir 27

J M Bairstow st Ambrose b Imran Tahir 6

G L Brophy c Imran Tahir b Botha 4

A U Rashid c Clarke b Botha 4

R M Pyrah c Clarke b Barker 13

C J McKay c Clarke b Barker 20

D J Wainwright b Barker 0

S A Patterson not out 0

Extras lb2 w8 10

Total (19.5 overs) 131

Fall: 1-3 2-41 3-58 4-75 5-93 6-97 7-99 8-131 9-131.

Bowling: Woakes 2 0 13 0, Carter 3 0 29 1, Barker 2.5 0 19 4, Piolet 4 0 33 1, Imran Tahir 4 0 17 2, Botha 4 0 18 2.

Umpires: N G B Cook and N J Llong.