Yorkshire Phoenix failed to qualify for the Twenty20 Cup semi-finals last night, but they ended their involvement in the competition with a rip-roaring victory over Nottinghamshire Outlaws at Headingley.

The match had the 10,114 crowd in a high state of excitement as Yorkshire sealed an 18-run win.

Chasing 197, Notts seemed home and dry at 169-5 in the 17th over, but they then lost their last five wickets for nine runs in 12 balls.

This triumph with 11 deliveries to spare left Yorkshire with a 100 per cent winning home record and the sheer enthusiasm of the crowd left no-one in any doubt that Twenty20 cricket is here to stay.

The man-of-the-match award went to Michael Lumb for his barnstorming 55 off 26 balls with five sixes and four fours, but the hero of the hour was 18-year-old Tim Bresnan, who sparked the collapse with three wickets in four balls, all of his victims being clean bowled.

First to go was Paul Franks, who had his middle stump knocked back, and two balls later Jason Gallian also heard crashing timber. Richard Logan went first ball and it was left to Stuart MacGill to survive the hat-trick delivery, but in the next over from Lumb he lost Will Smith sparring outside off-stump and the match ended when MacGill gave a return catch to Ryan Sidebottom, who flung out his left hand.

Before Notts disintegrated, South African Kevin Pietersen thrashed 44 from 21 balls, with three sixes and four fours, but Yorkshire's gamble of bringing on Lumb paid off because Pietersen clipped him straight to Matthew Wood at mid-wicket and later in the over the same combination accounted for Bilal Shafayat.

Winning the toss, Yorkshire lost Yuvraj Singh in the second over to a brilliant overhead catch by Franks, but Wood was then able to look on as Lumb launched himself into a salvo of stunning shots.

In left-arm spinner Samit Patel's solitary over, which gave away 28 runs, the left-hander plundered three consecutive sixes after Wood had also driven the slow bowler high over the rope.

The onslaught was ended by former Yorkshire all-rounder Gareth Clough, who bowled Lumb round his legs as he attempted to sweep, but Wood went on to make 57 from 44 balls with five fours and a six.

The total was boosted by 20 in the final over from MacGill, who was cracked for two sixes by Gavin Hamilton and one by Richard Blakey.

Blakey was caught on the mid-wicket boundary for 14 but Hamilton remained unbeaten on 41 off 24 balls with two sixes and two fours.

Updated: 09:34 Wednesday, June 25, 2003