By JMB
September 15 2006

Gloucestershire made it two Pro40 wins in a row as they trounced Yorkshire by eight wickets at Cheltenham. The hosts restricted the Phoenix to 154 - 9 on a firm wicket - an innings of very uncertain batting - and then launched a hard-hitting assault which had the game won inside 24 overs. Ian Harvey, back with Gloucestershire after two disappointing summers with Yorkshire, set the tone of the response with an explosive opening which saw him hit five fours off the 18 balls he faced before being caught at mid-off.

While Yorkshire relied once more on Craig White's careful approach as he carried his bat for 69, Gloucestershire were cavalier and daredevil. Yorkshire managed a dozen fours - Gloucestershire delighted a partisan crowd of 4,500 with 20 fours and two sixes.

New Zealander Hamish Marshall and Chris Taylor flashed their way through their third-wicket run frenzy with 50 runs in their first six overs, ending with 104 runs in 15. Marshall was first to his half-century, finishing on 62 not out with eight fours, while Taylor had two sixes and six fours in his unbeaten 55.

It was Gloucestershire's fifth victory in six matches with Yorkshire in this competition's various guises.

White was Yorkshire's anchorman, batting through 110 deliveries. The trouble was he simply could not find anyone to forge a meaningful partnership with. Having won the toss, Yorkshire were immediately undermined when Matthew Wood was caught off the first ball from Jon Lewis.

Martyn Ball was the only one of Gloucestershire's six bowlers not to take a wicket, but having held the chance off Wood he went on to make a stunning reflex catch at short mid-wicket when Michael Lumb on 15 launched a full-blooded drive at Lewis.

Gloucestershire have been criticised by their coach Mark Alleyne for recent slack fielding but here they were sharp and on top of every ball. They were helped along by Darren Lehmann, who launched an inexplicable charge at spinner Ian Fisher, missed the ball and was stumped a good five paces down the wicket.

Fisher has not had a lot of cricket this summer but clearly relished the opportunity to play against his old county. Lehmann was his one wicket, but he bowled a tight and challenging line and only one boundary was taken off him.

While Yorkshire failed to accelerate, the reliable White put the 100 up at the end of the 25th over and reached his 50 three overs later with five fours off 81 balls.
He did not manage another boundary and would have been run out off the last ball of the innings if the throw from James Averis had been a fraction more accurate.