YORKSHIRE eased into the semi-finals of the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy with a 33-run victory over Northamptonshire at sun-kissed Headingley.

Although Yorkshire's run margin was a comfortable one when acting captain Richard Dawson scored a direct hit to run out Steffan Jones with 11 balls remaining, it was a much tougher battle than the scores suggest.

Northants replied with 237 to Yorkshire's 270 and the man-of-the-match gold award went to left-hander Michael Lumb, whose elegant innings of 89 made sure that the visitors would have to chase a substantial target.

Lumb had reached his highest score in C&G cricket when he was caught on the long-on boundary by Bilal Shafayat off Damien Wright after facing 108 balls and hitting five fours and driving one massive six off paceman Ben Phillips.

He was dropped at point by captain David Sales one run before his dismissal, and although this fielding lapse did not prove expensive, Northants were made to regret Johann Louw putting down Anthony McGrath in the deep when he was only eight.

The score was then 180-3 but McGrath survived to feature in a fourth wicket stand of 82 in 16 overs with Lumb and he had reached 38 when he holed out to long-off to make it 227-4.

Put in to bat, Yorkshire suffered an early blow when the out-of-form Matthew Wood was caught in the slips for a duck, but his opening partner Ian Harvey improved the situation with some solid blows.

Phillips' first ball had Phil Jaques caught behind by Riki Wessels to bring in Lumb, who embarked on the major stand of the innings with Harvey, the pair knocking up 93 in 16 overs before Harvey was surprised by a full toss from Phillips, which he hit to mid-wicket and was out for a cleanly struck 74.

McGrath's dismissal put Yorkshire under unexpected pressure, the last seven wickets going down for 43 runs to leave the final score less than they anticipated at the half-way stage when they were 136-2.

Neither Matthew Hoggard nor Deon Kruis could contain openers Martin Love and Shafayat who helped themselves to 47 from the first seven overs and they had moved the score on to 73 by the 12th over when Tim Bresnan trapped Shafayat lbw for 33.

Love was run out by a direct hit by Jaques for 42 but a 90 stand between Tim Roberts and Usman Afzaal threatened to take the game away from Yorkshire. Roberts was dropped behind the stumps by Ismail Dawood off Dawson.

Dawson shrewdly brought back Hoggard to try to get a wicket and the move succeeded as Roberts fell lbw in his first over and Afzaal was caught at deep mid-on by Bresnan in his next for 57.

Another successful bowling change saw the return of Harvey, who had gone for 20 runs in two earlier overs, and Sales drilled his first ball to Jaques at mid-wicket, and Northants were soon collapsing in similar fashion to Yorkshire, their last six wickets toppling for 45 runs.

Updated: 10:05 Monday, July 18, 2005