Yorkshire suffered a thrilling one-run Roses defeat to Vitality Blast North Group leaders Lancashire in a high-scoring 14-over clash at Emirates Old Trafford.
Lancashire’s 176-2 came after rain had delayed the start until 7.45pm, with captain Liam Livingstone smashing 79 off 37 balls, before the visitors failed to get four off the last ball as Kane Williamson miscued Toby Lester to deep mid-wicket.
England Lions man Livingstone opened with Jos Buttler (16) and dominated a 55-run stand in 4.5 overs, with the Lightning’s total of eleven sixes equalling their record for the most in an innings. Yorkshire hit 12 in 175-4.
Adam Lyth then smashed 60 off 26 balls as Yorkshire reached the seven-over mark at 80-1 and were well in touch. However, they fell narrowly short in an entertaining chase which went down to 33 off two overs and 17 off the last. Joe Root hit 51 not out off 22.
Livingstone hit six sixes and peppered the leg-side as the Vikings erred in length in front of a bumper crowd of 22,515 – the biggest for any Blast game outside of London, excluding Finals Day.
Captain Steve Patterson was the Vikings standout bowler with 1-28 from three overs, while everyone else in the six-man attack went at 11 an over or above.
In-form Adil Rashid conceded 44 off his three overs.
Unfortunately, the tone was set for Yorkshire in the first over when Livingstone skied a potential catch off David Willey out to wide mid-off, where Patterson, Williamson and Lyth all left it to each other.
Livingstone then hit two sixes and a four off Tim Bresnan in the second over on the way to a 26-ball fifty.
Root took a stunning diving catch at mid-off, goalkeeper style, to help Patterson get rid of Livingstone as the score fell to 120-2 in the 10th.
The first wicket had been the run out of Buttler after a mid-pitch mix-up allowed Liam Plunkett to gather the ball in his follow through and throw the stumps down at the non-striker’s end.
Livingstone shared 65 for the second wicket with pinch-hitter Arron Lilley, who maintained the momentum with 42 not out off 20 balls, sharing an unbroken 56 with Jordan Clark (36 not out) at the end of the innings.
Lyth then hit four sixes in six balls off left-arm seamer Lester and Livingstone in the fourth and fifth overs to get Yorkshire moving.
He reached 50 off 20 balls as the Vikings went to five overs at 59-0, ahead of where Lancashire were at the same stage.
Lyth continued his assault before he miscued leg-spinner Matthew Parkinson to long-off at the end of the seventh.
Willey struggled for timing on the ground he scored a 50-over century in the same fixture early last month, and when he fell stumped for 20 off Parkinson’s next delivery at the start of the ninth, the visitors were 90-2 and edging behind.
Some lusty hitting from Root and Plunkett, in as a pinch-hitter, kept things alive, but the latter was bowled off his pads by Clark before Bresnan holed out to deep mid-wicket off James Faulkner.
Lester just about held his nerve in the last after Root hit three of the first four balls for four.
Yorkshire have now won three of their first five in the North Group, losing two. Their next match is against Birmingham Bears at Emerald Headingley next Friday.
