That 95-run upset by Essex in the Benson and Hedges Cup semi-final match on Tuesday was one of the most bitterly disappointing defeats Yorkshire have ever experienced in limited overs cricket.

After being the only one of the four counties to get through to the semi-finals with a 100 per cent winning record, David Byas and his young team were confident they could go all the way and lift the B&H Cup in the last of its 27 seasons.

Had they beaten Essex, the scene would have been set for a repeat of the very first final in 1972 between Yorkshire and Leicestershire - with Yorkshire out to avenge their defeat on that day.

But as things turned out, Yorkshire never looked like overpowering Essex who always seemed confident of their destiny. Even when they were 33 for three they appeared sure of themselves and the fourth wicket stand between captain Nasser Hussain and Ronnie Irani put them in a position of strength which Yorkshire were unable to challenge.

The result proved once again that Yorkshire just cannot cope with the pressure of the big occasion as their record in the B&H down the years clearly shows.

They have won their way through to seven semi-finals but, with the chips down, have only made it into two finals and have won the cup just once in 1987.

Overall, Yorkshire can look back on a reasonable record in the B&H, having won 68 of their 124 games with 49 lost and seven abandoned without a result. At home they have had 35 wins and 24 defeats while away from home they have won 33 and lost 25.

Skipper David Byas still feels that he has a team under his charge that is more than capable of beating Essex or any other side if they are playing to the best of their ability.

If he and director of coaching, Martyn Moxon, can convince the players of this and get them to pull out all the stops when it really matter, Yorkshire still have time to make amends for the Essex debacle by going all the way to Lord's in the NatWest Trophy.

They start their travels down that road on June 24 when they visit Exmouth to take on Devon and unless there is a major upset in that game they will then move on to either Old Trafford or Hove to play the winners of the Lancashire v Sussex encounter.

The proudest moment for Yorkshire in the 27 years of the Benson and Hedges Cup came on the evening of July 11, 1987, when Jim Love blocked the final ball against Northamptonshire at Lord's to make sure that Yorkshire won the cup for the first and only time by virtue of losing fewer wickets than their opponents in a match which finished with the scores level.

Who will ever forget the scenes as Love and Arnie Sidebottom charged through the surging tide of Yorkshire fans and minutes later skipper Phil Carrick was on the Lord's balcony holding aloft the trophy?

Although Yorkshire would like to be able to look back on more moments such as those, they can still reflect on a reasonable record of consistency during the years of the competition.

In all, they played 124 games, winning 68 and losing 49 with seven being abandoned. Exactly half of their matches were on home grounds where they won 35 games compared to 33 on their travels.

Despite the widely held view that Geoff Boycott was more suited to Test matches than one-day games, he was still by far and away Yorkshire's most successful batsman in B&H cricket.

No-one could match his 2,052 runs at an average of 44.60 and he was their only batsman to record three centuries, his 142 at Worcester in 1980 being the biggest innings by any Yorkshire player.

Graham Stevenson has taken the most B&H wickets for Yorkshire with 74, closely followed by Arnie Sidebottom with 72 and Chris Old with 71.

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