Lancashire prevail in Roses clash

Lancashire 163 for 5 beat Yorkshire 162 for 8 by five wickets
Scorecard

Lancashire produced a county-record run chase success in the Friends Provident t20 at Old Trafford to claim bragging rights over Roses rivals Yorkshire. Backed by a sell-out crowd, Stephen Moore blasted a rapid half-century as the Red Rose chased down 163 to claim a five-wicket win. Earlier, new England Lions spinner Stephen Parry claimed 3 for 19. The victory consolidates Lancashire's top-three position in the North Division and keeps them on course for the quarter-finals.

Herschelle Gibbs passed 50 for the third time this season and with Adam Lyth's rapid 36, Yorkshire looked at one stage set to reach 200 having won the toss. But Parry, who accounted for Lyth thanks to a great catch from Simon Kerrigan at mid-on, led the Lancashire recovery with wickets at key times.

Sajid Mahmood also bounced back from conceding 21 off his first over to finish with 3 for 30 as Yorkshire lost five wickets for 32 runs. Gibbs became the first batsman to pass 400 runs in this group, blasting his half-century from 34 balls.

But he was caught well for 51 by Nathan McCullum in Parry's first over, bringing an end to a 50-run partnership with Jacques Rudolph. Rudolph followed in the same manner six overs later as he went for 16 - again caught well by the New Zealander.

At that stage Yorkshire were 119 for 3 after 13 overs and still going well. However Parry, Kerrigan and Tom Smith began to make runs hard to come by, backed up with some good fielding.

And once dangerman Gibbs had gone, Yorkshire fell apart with Anthony McGrath soon following him as he was caught by Mahmood off Kerrigan for 10. In the final over McCullum pulled off his third catch of the innings as Jonathan Bairstow holed out for 13 and then, two balls later, Adil Rashid went for 13 as he chipped one to Steven Croft at mid-on.

Mahmood then ran out Clint McKay as Yorkshire finished on 162 for 8. Moore made a powerful start in Lancashire's reply, smashing 14 from Steven Patterson's first over including a huge six into the pavilion, and then hitting three consecutive boundaries off Rich Pyrah.

Fellow opener Smith had a rare failure as he fell to Pyrah for just four. But Moore and Croft continued the onslaught with the former Worcestershire opener racing to his fifty in just 24 balls with nine boundaries.

They had put on 49 when Moore went for 59 in the ninth over, caught by Andrew Gale off Pyrah, who finished with 3 for 33. Croft then took over and, after guiding Lancashire safely to three figures, belted a straight six back of Rashid's head.

He fell to the next ball though when trying to repeat the trick and was caught by Rudolph for a 28-ball 36 with Lightning still needing 46 off 36. And although McCullum and Gareth Cross were both dismissed before the end, Paul Horton saw Lancashire home with an unbeaten 37 from 30 balls.