Gary Ballance and Harry Brook hit superb centuries as Yorkshire started their Royal London one-day Cup campaign with a record-breaking 213-run victory over Leicestershire at Emerald Headingley.
The Vikings recovered from 17-3 to post 379-7, their equal highest List A score against county opposition.
And fourth-wicket pair Ballance and Brook were at the heart of it, sharing 211 in 34 overs.
Ballance’s 156 off 133 balls was a career best score and his third hundred in his last three innings after County Championship knocks against Nottinghamshire and Hampshire.
Brook’s 103 off 105 balls, meanwhile, marked his maiden one-day century and only the 20-year-old’s second in first-team cricket.
Despite the excellent batting conditions, Leicester never looked like chasing down 380, especially having slipped to 1-1 after four balls thanks to a David Willey wicket.
They were bowled out for 166 inside 30 overs as Mat Pillans claimed a career best 5-29 from 6.3 overs, his maiden five-wicket haul, on his White Rose one-day debut.
Having been invited to bat, Yorkshire slipped against new ball quick Tom Taylor.
He removed Adam Lyth for a three-ball duck in the first over and then Willey and Tom Kohler-Cadmore cheaply. Lyth and Willey were both caught at first slip as the Vikings tottered.
But from there, it was a completely different game.
Brook and Ballance played positively without looking in any trouble aside from a close shave apiece.
Leicester felt they had Brook lbw on 24 when he shuffled across his stumps and played to leg against Gavin Griffiths before Lewis Hill missed a stumping with Ballance on 81 against Arron Lilley’s off spin.
But the pair ensured that records tumbled.
Yorkshire’s total was also the highest on this ground by any team in one-day cricket.
And the partnership between Ballance and Brook was Yorkshire’s highest for the fourth wicket and their equal sixth highest ever.
Brook reached his century first off 101 balls and underlined his standing as one of the brightest batting talents in England.
Ballance’s came shortly afterwards off 112 balls, with both men strong on both sides of the wicket.
Ballance hit six of eleven sixes in the innings, including three in a row off seamer Will Davis in the over he fell caught at deep cover, leaving the score at 329-5 in the 46th.
Yorkshire scored a mammoth 142 runs in the last 10 overs, with Jonny Tattersall’s inventive 58 off 29 balls maintaining the late momentum – he hit four sixes.
The Vikings then made the ideal start with the ball through Willey, who had been named in England’s provisional 15-man World Cup squad only a couple of hours earlier.
He bowled Harry Dearden four balls into chase before getting Lilley caught at mid-on, leaving the score at 37-2 in the seventh over.
Steve Patterson then had opposite number Paul Horton caught at cover before leg-spinner Josh Poysden struck with his first ball, getting Mark Cosgrove (42) lbw as the score fell to 108-4 in the 19th.
Pillans then struck twice in successive overs; Colin Ackermann bowled and Hill caught at backward point – 132-6 in the 22nd.
His third wicket – Taylor – came courtesy of a superb diving catch on the run from Adil Rashid at mid-wicket before Aadil Ali chipped him to mid-wicket, 164-8 in the 29th.
Poysden bowled Davis before Pillans wrapped things up by getting Chris Wright caught behind.
Yorkshire face Warwickshire at Edgbaston on Friday.
What they said
Yorkshire batsman Harry Brook
“That was a very good.
“We didn’t start well as a batting unit, but myself and Gary (Ballance) tried our hardest to build a big partnership and got us to a decent total in the end.
“Tatts (Jonny Tattersall) also played really nicely at the end.
“Then, the bowling was outstanding. We were really ruthless.
“The pitch did a tiny bit at the start to be fair. There was a bit of seam, although there wasn’t much swing.
“Getting hundreds is nice. I’m very happy. Hopefully I can go on and get a few more hundreds in this competition and see where we’re at in a few games.
“We’ve had a really good start to the season. A draw and win in the Championship and a win here, there’s good momentum going into the rest of this competition.”
Leicestershire head coach Paul Nixon
“It’s disappointing after such a great start, them 17-3. Tommy Taylor was bowling beautifully. Then there was an outstanding partnership from a high-class England player and a potential England player.
“They took the game away from us.
“We lacked wicket-taking options and probably fed them a boundary ball an over.
“They played smart cricket and executed well. We didn’t. And that’s something we’ve spoken about in the team debrief.
“With the bat, we consistently lost wickets. It’s always tough to chase a big score.
“But good learnings first game in. We’ve learnt something straightaway.”
