A sensational match full of twists and turns ended with victory by two runs for Yorkshire over Northamptonshire at Wantage Road yesterday in the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy.

Rarely have Yorkshire been involved in a one-day game played at such fever pitch throughout and it brought them their first win of the season in any competition - and ended a run of ten consecutive defeats in limited overs cricket.

Put in to bat, Yorkshire thrashed their way to 341-3 with a sparkling century from captain Craig White then being put into the shade by one of audacious brilliance from his brother-in-law, Darren Lehmann.

It seemed impossible that Northants could match this big-hitting spree, particularly after they had got off to only a steady start against the pace of Jason Gillespie and Deon Kruis.

But at 90-3 in 21 overs, captain David Sales was joined by Australian Chris Rogers and the pair began to pulverise the bowling in a stand of 215 in 26 overs with Sales being forced to call for a runner in the later stages of his innings because of a tweaked hamstring.

Sales was brutal with the ferocity of his legside play and the game had swung violently Northants' way when 42 were required off the last four overs.

Tim Bresnan gave Yorkshire fresh hope by yorking Rogers for 85 from 76 balls but Sales and Lance Klusener then blasted 19 in an over from White, leaving the home side wanting just 17 in two overs.

White shrewdly changed tactics by bringing off-spinner Richard Dawson back into the attack and the plan worked a treat, Sales driving him hard to long on where Anthony McGrath pulled off a great catch to send the Northants captain back for a breathtaking 161 which contained 15 fours and five sixes and came off 114 deliveries.

Dawson struck again by taking a sprawling one-handed catch off his own bowling to get rid of the potentially lethal Klusener but in the same action-packed over, Ben Phillips cleared the rope with a massive six over mid-wicket.

Northants were favourites again at 333-6 with nine required off the final over.

But the cool-headed Bresnan had Phillips caught round the corner by Gillespie. The last ball arrived with Riki Wessels needing to hit five or six to win it for his side but he could only only manage two and Yorkshire had scraped home by the skin of their teeth.

It had seemed at the half-way stage of the gripping contest that Yorkshire could be the only winners after White's impeccable 112 at a run a ball had paved the way for Lehmann's ferocious 118 not out off only 86 deliveries with nine fours and six sixes.

Lehmann took complete control in the last eight overs in which he added 117 with Michael Lumb, the Australian smashing his way to 70 with two consecutive sixes off Nicholson and reaching his century with a boundary off Klusener which he followed up with three more fours and a six over mid-wicket.

The difference in the end was in the fielding because while Yorkshire barely put a foot wrong, Northants failed to hold their catches - Anthony McGrath, White and Lehmann all being given a life.

Craig White said of the match: "It was an absolutely fantastic game of cricket, one of the best I have ever played in with two of the best one-day innings' from Lehmann and Sales you could ever witness. It has left me speechless."

Updated: 11:48 Monday, May 15, 2006