Defeat for Panthers in the rain at Leeds

Middlesex 217-8 (40 ov) lost to Yorkshire 81-0 (17.2 ov) by 17 runs (D/L)
(Yorkshire 2 pts, Middlesex 0 pts)

Rain and lack of wickets thwarted Middlesex as they were beaten on the Duckworth-Lewis method in their latest Yorkshire Bank 40 match.

Adam Rossington (42) and Gareth Berg (43) batted well in the middle order but the Panthers were restricted to 217-8 in their 40 overs at Headingley.

With the weather closing in, Yorkshire ensured they kept wickets in hand at the top of the order to stay ahead of the visitors on the Duckworth-Lewis chart.

Openers Andrew Gale and Adam Lyth guided the Vikings to 81-0 by the time rain forced play to be abandoned, 17 runs ahead of the D/L target.

Middlesex made a blistering start to the match, racing to 41-0 in the first four overs, Paul Stirling scoring 32 off just 20 balls.

But the Irishman was the first of Iain Wardlaw’s three victims, with Joe Denly and Dawid Malan also falling to the paceman as the Panthers slipped to 65-4.

As the wickets fell, so did the run rate but Rossington and Berg ensured it stayed above the five an over mark through the middle overs.

Boundaries were at a premium but Ollie Rayner (22) chipped in with useful runs as Yorkshire put the squeeze on late in the innings to restrict Middlesex to 217.

Yorkshire began their reply keeping within touching distance of the required run rate but took no risks to ensure they didn’t lose early wickets.

Lyth pulled Toby Roland-Jones for six as Yorkshire reached 50 after 10 overs but shortly afterwards the first burst of rain took the players off.

A revised target of 197 from 35 overs was set as play resumed but the weather intervened again in the 18th over and the umpires abandoned the match with Yorkshire ahead.

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