A thrilling 74 off only 32 balls with 13 fours and two sixes from Australian Ian Harvey seemed certain to bring Yorkshire an easy victory as they chased a 171 target in their Twenty20 Cup match against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge yesterday.

But then they lost wickets and the runs dried up to bring Notts back into the match and Yorkshire were left needing 24 from the last four overs with four wickets in hand.

The tension increased when Ismail Dawood was run out and when the last over arrived Yorkshire still required a further three runs.

Captain Craig White could do nothing with Andy Harris's first two deliveries and he slapped his third straight to New Zealand skipper and former Yorkshire batsman Steven Fleming at mid-wicket.

Richard Dawson struck his first ball over the top towards the third man boundary for two to level the scores and he then guided the penultimate delivery wide of the wicket-keeper for four to win the match by two wickets.

Although Yorkshire made hard work of what should have been a much easier victory it was an excellent game and the result should help boost the crowd at Headingley for tomorrow's match against the North Division's leaders Derbyshire.

Yorkshire put Notts in on a glorious summer's day and Tim Bresnan quickly had them in trouble with a wicket in each of his three overs, including Fleming to a brilliant catch on the cover boundary by Richard Pyrah who jumped high to grab the ball and somehow managed not to fall over the rope.

Matthew Hoggard had been hit for consecutive sixes by Fleming in the previous over but the England bowler performed much more tidily than in the Roses match and his four overs cost him 29 runs.

Chris Read with 43 from 35 balls with two sixes and two fours held Notts together. He was helped by former Yorkshire second teamer Gareth Clough, who hit 23 off 13 deliveries.

After Mark Ealham had smacked Matthew Wood's rarely-seen spin for consecutive sixes over mid-wicket he got his own back by having him caught on the boundary edge by Harvey.

Man-of-the-match Harvey and Michael Lumb got Yorkshire off to a whirlwind start. Harvey lashed Harris's first ball of the innings for six and followed up with a boundary before Lumb also struck a four.

Greg Smith's first over was even more expensive as Harvey plundered three boundaries, and in between sandwiched a six high over cover.

The runs continued to gush, Lumb blasting a six and two fours off Smith to charge Yorkshire on to 52-0 in the fourth over. The score stood on 60 when left-arm spinner Samit Patel deceived Lumb into driving a catch to David Hussey for 21 from 13 balls.

Harvey needed only 18 balls for his half-century, which contained nine fours and two sixes and came out of 92-1, but he lost fellow Australian Phil Jaques to Patel without addition. His own end came in the tenth over when he was caught after flogging Graeme Swann for three consecutive fours.

Yorkshire looked to be cruising it at 121-3 but Anthony McGrath played a loose stroke and the quick dismissals of Wood and Pyrah left them on 135-6.

Dawood kept a cool head and hit a couple of crucial boundaries before he was unluckily run out, but the early onslaught from Harvey left Yorkshire sufficiently close to scrape home.

Twenty20 Cup

North Division

Nottinghamshire Outlaws v Yorkshire Phoenix

(at Trent Bridge)

Yorkshire Phoenix won toss

Nottinghamshire Outlaws Innings

Swann c Wood b Bresnan 8

Fleming c Pyrah b Bresnan 19

Patel c Lumb b Bresnan 7

Hussey run out 9

Read b White 43

Clough lbw b McGrath 23

Ealham c Harvey b Wood 14

Franks not out 20

Smith c Wood b Harvey 15

Harris not out 0

Extras b1 lb2 w7 nb2 12

Total 8 wkts (20 overs) 170

Fall: 1-12 2-35 3-42 4-67 5-108 6-128 7-137 8-168.

Did not bat: G J Smith.

Bowling: Hoggard 4-0-29-0 Bresnan 3-0-22-3 Harvey 4-0-28-1 Dawson 4-0-29-0 Wood 2-0-21-1 McGrath 1-0-16-1 White 2-0-22-1.

Yorkshire Phoenix Innings

Harvey c Ealham b Swann 74

Lumb c Hussey b Patel 21

Jaques c Read b Patel 15

McGrath c Harris b Ealham 11

Wood c Read b Harris 2

White c Fleming b Harris 19

Pyrah run out 3

Dawood run out 15

Bresnan not out 2

Dawson not out 6

Extras w2 nb4 6

Total 8 wkts (19.5 overs) 174

Fall: 1-60 2-92 3-121 4-125 5-131 6-135 7-160 8-168.

Did not bat: M J Hoggard.

Bowling: Harris 3.5-0-34-2 G J Smith 4-0-53-0 Patel 4-0-30-2 Ealham 4-0-33-1 Swann 4-0-24-1.

Yorkshire Phoenix (2points) beat Nottinghamshire Outlaws (0pts) by 2 wkts

Updated: 11:24 Monday, June 27, 2005