Yorkshire Cricket by David Warner

Yorkshire have been drawn at home to either Middlesex or Essex in the semi-finals of the Benson and Hedges Cup on Tuesday, June 9.

And Headingley can expect a capacity crowd for this plum tie which leaves Yorkshire with an excellent chance of going on to the Lord's final on July 11.

The draw also opens up the intriguing possiblity of a Roses showdown in the final for Lancashire will play Leicestershire in the semi-finals if they beat Surrey in their quarter-final match which concludes today.

Middlesex and Essex were also completing their quarter-final tie today at Lord's.Although Yorkshire would love a Roses final in the 27th and last B&H Cup competition, they breathed a sigh of relief at avoiding Lancashire in the semi-final stages.

It means they do not have to overcome the psychological barrier which was set up after their double nightmare in 1996 when they lost at Old Trafford in the semi-finals of both the B&H and the NatWest Trophy.

Yorkshire skipper David Byas said today: "The draw could not have been better because we fancy our chances against anyone at Headingley, but we know we must all perform to our best ability to get through to our first final since 1987."Yorkshire have a poor B&H record against Middlesex, winning only one of the four previous encounters between the sides, but they have won two out of their three matches against Essex.

Yorkshire's success means they will have to pull out of their Costcutter Cup at Harrogate. They were scheduled to play Scotland in the semi-finals on June 8 with the final being held on June 10.

The St George's Road-based club are now working on finding a replacement team to face the Scots.

See MATCH REPORT Yorkshire sweep into semi-finals

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