Michael vaughan left disappointed as Lancashire beat Yorkshire

May 28 2009 by Our Correspondent, Ormskirk Advertiser

MICHAEL Vaughan’s Twenty20 career-best 36 off 31 balls could not save Yorkshire from a crushing six-wicket North Division defeat at the hands of Roses foes Lancashire Lightning at Old Trafford.

The former England captain, a relative novice in 20-over cricket, top scored with a career best in the visitors’ dismal effort of 105 for eight.

South African Test batsman Ashwell Prince, playing just the 13th Twenty20 match of his career, then top scored for the Red Rose with 44 off 36 balls to help secure the win with 27 balls to spare.

Yorkshire, who won the toss and elected to bat, got off to the worst possible start when Andrew Gale pulled the first ball of the match, a waste high full toss from occasional leg-spinner Francois du Plessis, to a diving Steven Croft at deep backward square-leg.

Vaughan and Anthony McGrath set about the recovery mission with the former hitting Sajid Mahmood for two consecutive boundaries in the fourth over.

They took 31 runs off the first six overs of fielding restrictions and their second-wicket stand had put on just two more when McGrath was bowled by left-arm spinner Gary Keedy to leave the visitors 33 for two in the seventh.

Vaughan, who hit 35 off 30 balls against Leicestershire, demonstrated his ability to improvise with a deft reverse-swept four off Keedy in the ninth over before planting fellow left-armer Stephen Parry for six over mid-wicket in the eleventh.

But trying to repeat the blow in the same over he fell foul of the leading contender for catch of the season by Croft.

The Lancashire man caught the ball in his right hand and above his head whilst in mid air to leave the Tykes 53 for three.

Adam Lyth, Jacques Rudolph and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan followed in quick succession to Chapple, Keedy and Parry to leave the score at 66 for six in the 14th.

Rain forced the players off the field with the score at 77 for six early in the 16th over but when they returned only Rich Pyrah’s 26 not out off 29 balls gave Yorkshire any kind of impetus.

Parry and Chapple (two for 20 from four) picked up further wickets and spin did for six of the eight wickets. Parry finished with three for 20 from four and Keedy two for 23.

Lancashire made a solid start to their chase - it did not need to be anything to extravagant due to the small total they were chasing - as Croft, fresh from three catches, hit 21 off nine balls.

But even though they took 47 runs off the first six overs the hosts lost three wickets, two of them to veteran pace bowler Deon Kruis and the other to left-arm spinner David Wainwright.

That was where Prince and Tom Smith came in with a fourth-wicket stand of 60 with the latter finishing on 22 not out.