Cricket: Yorkshire's balloon deflated by Capel

Northants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211-9

Yorkshire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177

Northamptonshire win by 34 runs

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE'S experience and resilience proved just too much for a Yorkshire team that included only two capped bowlers here yesterday.

Twice the visitors appeared to be beaten in this Benson and Hedges first-round tie and twice they recovered. Richie Richardson, making his Yorkshire debut, scored a polished 52 off 86 balls before underestimating the lift-off power of Nick Cook.

Martyn Moxon put Northamptonshire in on a pitch that Keith Boyce thought would help the seamers through the morning. Moxon dropped his two successful spinners but then gave eight overs to Paul Grayson, an occasional slow left-armer, who conceded 32 runs.

The innings revolved around a stand of 118 between Nigel Felton and Allan Lamb, in 30 overs, for the second wicket. Six wickets then went down for 58 runs. Chris Silverwood, 18, fast- medium, returned impressive figures and demonstrated a good arm when he ran out David Ripley from the boundary.

Once the Moxon-Richardson partnership was under way Yorkshire seemed to be cruising. But at 114 Richardson took a quick single to Lamb at cover; Moxon initially hesitated and then, rather than endanger his new star, set off on what was always likely to be a forlorn hope.

Three overs later Richardson hit an impressive, full-blooded lofted off-drive to be defeated by an even more impressive catch. David Capel returned to remove Blakey, Byas and White in five overs; a 3,000 crowd sat disappointed as Yorkshire, set to score a run a ball in the last 10 overs, three of them from Curtly Ambrose, faded into a golden sunset. Their consolation is that Yorkshire will now play the Australians here on quarter-final day.

Leicestershire went through with a last-ball victory at Grace Road. Warwickshire, chasing the home side's 206 for 8, reached 206 for 9 and needed one run off Winston Benjamin's final delivery. But Allan Donald was run out when Benjamin hit the stumps with a direct throw to take Leicestershire through on the loss of fewer wickets.