Dent, Cockbain see off Yorkshire

Gloucestershire produced an impressive all-round performance to beat Yorkshire by 36 runs in a rain-shortened fixture at Bristol and maintain pressure on arch rivals Somerset at the top of Group C.

Chris Dent top-scored with 56 and there were useful contributions from Michael Klinger and Ian Cockbain as the home side posted an imposing 229 for 6 in 27 overs after being put in.

Dan Hodgson registered a competition-best score of 76 as Yorkshire made a decent fist of chasing, but 17-year-old off break bowler Miles Hammond accounted for him and finished with 2 for 29 in only his third senior appearance as Gloucestershire turned the screw.

Left arm seamer David Payne weighed in with 4 for 44 from five overs as Group C strugglers Yorkshire were dismissed for 193 in 26.3 overs.

Opening pair Klinger and Hamish Marshall have made a habit of providing Gloucestershire with a solid base in the 40-over competition this season and this game proved no exception as the first wicket yielded 52 runs in seven overs. Both took the aerial route during the Powerplay, Marshall striking a quartet of fours in contributing 27 at a run a ball before giving slow left-armer Adil Rashid the charge and being stumped by Andrew Hodd.

Klinger took an inexperienced attack to task, greeting Ben Coad with sixes over long-on and square leg in the space of four balls, helping himself to three maximums in all and four fours in a high-class innings of 45 from 30 balls.

The visitors breathed a collective sigh of relief when Gloucestershire's captain was bowled by a yorker from Iain Wardlaw with the score on 110 in the 14th over.

Back in action after recovering from a back injury, Dent was especially strong on the leg side, demonstrating admirable timing and invention to plunder 56, including four fours and four sixes, in a high-octane innings spanning 40 balls.

Looking dangerous, he succumbed to a soft dismissal, hoisting a full toss from Liam Plunkett straight to Richard Pyrah at deep midwicket, having dominated a partnership of 49 in five overs with Ian Cockbain for the third wicket.

Although Gloucestershire failed to fully maximise their excellent start in the face of some hostile bowling from Wardlaw, who took 3 for 44, Benny Howell and Cockbain refused to panic, kept the scoreboard moving and raised 50 in seven overs to put the home side in a position of strength.

Required to score at nine an over, Yorkshire were heavily dependent upon big-hitting Andrew Gale, but made the worst possible start when their skipper played around the corner and hooked a leg-side delivery from Will Gidman to Payne at short fine leg for 2.

Fellow left-hander Adam Lyth and new batsman Hodgson nevertheless set about repairing the damage in a second wicket alliance of 60 in five overs and Yorkshire were up with the rate when the partnership was brilliantly terminated by Gareth Roderick. Lyth pulled a short ball from Payne and Gloucestershire's young wicketkeeper taking off to his right to complete a quite brilliant airborne catch.

Undeterred, Hodgson continued to attack, mustering his maiden List-A 50 from 29 balls in his eighth appearance, eclipsing his previous highest score of 24 and raising 61 for the third wicket with Joe Sayers. Having made 76 from 55 balls and struck nine fours and two sixes, he fell to rookie off spinner Miles Hammond, who lured him into front foot indiscretion and had him smartly stumped by Roderick.

Sayers was held by Alex Gidman at short third man, at which point Yorkshire required nearly 11 an over and were reliant upon in-form Rashid. Hammond had him caught by a diving Dent at mid-off to reduce the visitors to 145 for 5 in the 21st over. Plunkett (7), Hodd (2), Rhodes (1) all struggled before Pyrah went for 34 and Wardlaw for 8 as Yorkshire fell short.