Yorkshire have been eliminated from the Royal London Cup after defeat against Hampshire at Scarborough today opened the door for Kent to usurp them to a place in the knockout stages.
The Vikings knew a fifth win in eight Group B games would qualify them for the knockout stages no matter what rivals Kent and Glamorgan did in their respective fixtures.
But they fell to a 72-run defeat chasing 314, despite the best efforts of all-rounder Matthew Revis, who took 4-77 from nine overs with the ball and hit 41 with the bat.
Hampshire’s 16th win in their last 17 games across all formats came after they posted 313-9 having been inserted. Aneurin Donald was key to Yorkshire’s demise at North Marine Road, walloping 76 off just 31 balls through the middle of the innings.
Like Revis with the ball, Donald hit a List A best with the bat, while opener Ben Brown contributed 60 and Tom Prest 55 in more measured fashion to their Welsh number four.
Yorkshire’s chase then fell into all sorts of trouble at 31-4 inside eight overs before a spirited recovery to 241 inside 46 overs, including 43 not out for Tom Loten.
Hampshire’s new ball seamer John Turner claimed an impressive 5-41 from 8.3 overs, with Yorkshire’s fate sealed shortly afterwards when Kent beat Lancashire at Canterbury.
Glamorgan also won at Worcestershire, meaning Yorkshire finish fifth in Group B with four wins and four defeats.
Dom Bess had to be subbed out of the game due to concussion after being hit on the back of the head by an errant throw from Fletcha Middleton whilst batting.
Thanks to Donald’s exploits, Hampshire’s innings was transformed during its second half following a solid but far from spectacular start having been inserted.
The Hawks reached the halfway mark at 109-1, losing only Nick Gubbins (38) lbw sweeping at the off-spin of Bess.
In fact, Yorkshire achieved success in contrasting ways at the start and end of the Hampshire innings, only hurt significantly through the middle as Donald opened his shoulders with impressive results.
At the start, the Vikings held the rate despite being unable to complement the Gubbins wicket. Later on, they claimed seven wickets for 76 in the final 10 overs, including three of them to Revis.
Brown made a determined 60 when batting looked at its most difficult on a pitch which nibbled early on before Prest’s 58 included sixes off Bess and Revis.
But he played the support role to Donald after Revis had got Brown caught at cover, leaving the visitors at 150-2 in the 33rd.
Prest was 40 when Donald arrived at the crease, and both men were on 52 when the latter reached his fifty off 23 balls.
Donald was devastating over the leg-side, at one stage hitting four sixes in as many balls, including three off Jack Shutt as he dominated a 93-run stand inside nine overs for the third wicket.
But Hampshire were unable to build on Donald’s good work, falling from a position of significant strength at 243-2 in the 41st.
The Vikings removed Prest and Donald with successive balls at the end of the 41st over and the start of the 42nd, leaving the score at 243-4, before Revis struck three more times as the innings hit the buffers amidst a series of miscues.
He had Middleton caught and bowled, Toby Albert caught at cover and John Turner caught at backward point.
Unfortunately, what runs Hampshire missed out on late in their innings, they made up for with some superb new ball bowling as the Vikings slipped into serious bother at 31-4 after 7.1 overs against swing, seam and some extra bounce.
Turner jagged one back in at Will Fraine and bowled him through the gate before getting a squared up Fin Bean caught behind.
Either side of those wickets, Ian Holland forced Harry Duke into a miscued pull to wide mid-on and bowled George Hill through the gate with an in-swinger, leaving the hosts 31 for four after 7.1 overs.
Matthew Waite and Jonny Tattersall shared 55 for the fifth wicket, and Yorkshire’s run-rate was good.
Waite pulled Turner for six over long-leg before Tattersall pulled two boundaries off John Campbell through mid-wicket as the score moved to 86-4 in the 14th over.
?Unfortunately, he was caught at mid-wicket for 25 later in the over as he top-edged an attempted repeat.
And when Waite was undone by extra bounce from Scott Currie and caught behind for 28 the ball after pulling his second six, Yorkshire were on the ropes at 106-6 in the 17th.
Revis and Bess (27) then shared 64 for the seventh wicket as Yorkshire battled back again.
However, the latter was forced to retire hurt having been struck on the back of the head by a wild throw from Middleton at cover as he tried to complete a quick single.
That came at 170-6 after 32, bringing Harry Sullivan into the game as concussion sub.
Revis was caught at point by Middleton off Currie shortly afterwards before Ben Coad (24) handed Turner his third wicket at 228 for eight after 42.
He bowled Sullivan for wicket number four before the game was wrapped up when Shutt top-edged him behind. Loten finished unbeaten with a consolatory 43, Yorkshire’s top score.
