Yorkshire got back to winning ways in the Friends Life t20 thanks to a 12-run victory over Northamptonshire at Wantage Road last night.

But this was far from the polished performance that suggests they can win the bulk, if not all, of their remaining five North Division matches and hoist themselves into the top four places to secure a quarter-final spot.

With the ball and in the field, maybe. With the bat, no way.

The White Rose county posted 144 all out, with opener Joe Sayers top-scoring with 44 and Adam Lyth chipping in with 30.

But they slumped from 87-1 in the 11th over, losing their last nine wickets for only 57 runs.

Former South Africa international all-rounder Andrew Hall, the Northants skipper, was at the heart of their slide with excellent figures of 4-23.

He picked up the wickets of Lyth, Jonny Bairstow, Gary Ballance and Rich Pyrah.

Yorkshire should really have been defending a total in the region of 180 after Sayers and Lyth blazed a trail through the majority of the first six overs of powerplay after Hall had elected to bowl.

But they still posted the highest score on this ground this season, and it proved to be enough.

Ajmal Shahzad (2-22) struck in his first over, trapping Bilal Shafayat lbw, before Ryan Sidebottom had Niall O’Brien caught at mid-off in his second over, leaving the score at 4-2 in the third.

And the hosts ended up stumbling to 132-7. Sidebottom finished with excellent figures of 2-18 from his four overs as the White Rose won for the first time in five matches.

Sayers and Adam Lyth shared 71 inside seven overs for the second wicket after captain Andrew Gale departed early.

Both men hit sixes, with Lyth’s a fabulous checked drive over cover off Hall the ball before he departed, caught at short cover by James Middlebrook.

And that sparked the collapse.

Sayers, who played with power and elegance during his 34 balls at the crease, under-edged Lee Daggett behind before Bairstow and Joe Root fell to complete a run of four wickets falling in consecutive overs.

Shahzad came in and hit Middlebrook for six and four before the former Yorkshire spinner gained revenge by bowling him.

Ballance was then caught behind off Hall, who also trapped Pyrah in front with his next ball.

Adil Rashid fell in identical fashion to Sayers before Sidebottom was run out going for two off the last ball of the innings.

Pyrah then backed up the excellent start from Shahzad and Sidebottom with the wickets of Rob White and Alex Wakely for 38, leaving the score at 76-4 after 13.

Johan Botha was run out backing up off Sidebottom’s bowling in the 17th over before Rob Newton was trapped lbw (37).

Shahzad also bowled Hall in the penultimate over, leaving Sidebottom to defend 23 off the last.

Yorkshire’s batting will have to improve dramatically if they are to have any chance of beating table-toppers Nottinghamshire at Headingley tomorrow.