Cricket: Tykes finally reach Lord's

YORKSHIRE REACHED their first Lord's final for 12 years on Saturday as they beat Warwickshire by 56 runs in the Benson and Hedges Super Cup semi-final at Edgbaston. Craig White took the Gold Award for scoring a rapid 55, including two sixes and six fours, batting at No 3 and taking 1 for 17 from eight overs.

Replying to 219 for 8 the home side were dismissed for 163 with only Nick Knight and Dougie Brown, who put on 80 for the second-wicket, coming to terms with the bowling. The win brings an end to Yorkshire's run of five losing semi-finals and takes them to Lord's on 1 August, a date celebrated as Yorkshire Day in the Ridings.

It keeps them on course for a treble having already qualified for the NatWest Trophy quarter-finals and currently lie top of the CGU National League.

In the County Championship Glamorgan kept Essex waiting until mid-afternoon yesterday before succumbing to defeat by an innings and 137 runs with more than four-and-a-half sessions to spare. It was Glamorgan's third loss by an innings in their last four matches.

The margin of victory at Cardiff could have been even more emphatic after they had reduced the home side to 20 for 5 by the ninth over of the day.

Ronnie Irani, who was on a hat-trick, finished with a season's-best 4 for 29 while Mark Ilott, who started the rot with two wickets on Saturday evening, returned 3 for 14.

Worcestershire have escaped punishment for the quality of the pitch at New Road after 20 wickets fell on the opening day of the County Championship match against Kent on Friday. Pitch inspectors from the England and Wales Cricket Board said on Saturday there was "nothing dangerous or untoward" about the playing surface.