Yorkshire Cricket by David Warner

Yorkshire retained the Northern Electric Trophy at Scarborough on Saturday by beating Durham by 53 runs in a run-drenched contest which provided rich fare for the good-sized festival crowd.

Michael Vaughan received the man-of-the-match award for his smoothly struck 130 but there were two other contenders in team-mate Darren Lehmann, who punched out a violent undefeated 93 before claiming three wickets, and Durham's acting captain John Morris who worried Yorkshire with a challenging innings of 107.

The 50-overs-a-side contest produced 595 runs with Yorkshire knocking up 324 for four and then bowling out Durham for 271 in 47.2 overs, Matthew Hoggard also making his mark by taking three for 40, the best figures of the day.

Yorkshire have now beaten Durham five times out of five this season, their other victories being in the championship, AXA League and twice in the Benson and Hedges Cup, and their opponents have become sick of the sight of Vaughan, who knocked up 177 and 36 not out in the championship clash and 70 in the Sunday match.

On this latest occasion, Vaughan hit 13 fours and two sixes off the 146 balls he received while putting on 111 for the second wicket with Matthew Wood (44) and 126 in just 17 overs with Lehmann.

The Australian has rarely hit the ball harder and he was only denied a century because Yorkshire ran out of overs after he had faced 64 deliveries, belting 12 fours and two sixes, one of which endangered spectators sitting on the pavilion balcony.

Morris, captaining Durham in the absence of David Boon, rattled Yorkshire in a second wicket stand of 142 in 24 overs with Nick Speak, and he reserved much of his venom for left-arm spinner Ian Fisher, driving him clean out of the ground at the pavilion end with the biggest hit of the day.

It took an excellent low catch by Fisher at mid-on to shift Morris as he aimed another lunge at Lehmann, his 107 coming off 87 balls with five fours and seven towering sixes. Speak went on to thump 79 off 104 balls with six fours and a six but with Morris out of the way, Yorkshire were the only winners.

Today Yorkshire meet Tim Rice's XI, captained by Northamptonshire's Rob Bailey, when they compete for the Tetley Bitter Festival Trophy.

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