Swagger not Jagger: Yorkshire power their way to Roses triumph

The Rolling Stones were in action at Old Trafford football ground, rocking the life out of 50,000 fans.

Under the circumstances, after Yorkshire beat Lancashire by 16 runs in a high-scoring contest, you could say that Yorkshire gained Satisfaction and that Lancashire could only bemoan that You Can’t Always Get What You Want.

For Lancashire, in fact, it was all Doom and Gloom, the hosts having already been eliminated prior to this match.

While Mick Jagger and co lit up Manchester United’s football ground, around which security was tight and ticket touts plentiful, the stars of the show at the cricket stadium just a (rolling) stone’s throw away were Yorkshire’s Adam Lyth and David Willey.

After Yorkshire won the toss and chose to bat, Lyth scored a career-best 144 from 132 balls with 20 fours and Willey lashed 131 from 95 deliveries with 11 fours and seven sixes, the visitors totalling 379-7, their highest score against a first-class county and the highest that Lancashire have conceded.

Liam Livingstone (79 from 44 balls) and Keaton Jennings (69 from 70) gave the hosts hope of pulling off what would have been the highest successful run-chase in English one-day cricket.

The second-wicket pair put them ahead of the rate during a stand of 124 in 13 overs, but Lancashire were unable to maintain that momentum before a crowd of just over 4,000, Willey taking 4-59 to cap a superb individual display.

In warm sunshine, and with a light breeze caressing the flags on top of the old pavilion, Yorkshire made full use of a flawless pitch.

The visitors made one change from their previous match, preferring an extra batsman in Harry Brook to former England all-rounder Tim Bresnan.

Lyth was instantly into his stride, cutting the first ball of the game from Tom Bailey to a very short boundary on the Stretford side, the ball almost decapitating the point fielder as it took a wicked bounce out of some foot holes.

An even better shot followed when Lyth off-drove Bailey towards the Yorkshire players watching from the new pavilion, a stroke that drew suitable approval from within their ranks.

From the final ball of Bailey’s second over, however, the third of the innings, an extraordinary thing happened.

Lyth’s opening partner, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, was dismissed without scoring, trapped lbw, caught on the crease.

Kohler-Cadmore’s previous scores in the competition had been 164, 39, 89, 74 and 81, a run of consistency that speaks for itself.

The powerful 23-year-old looks an England player in the making and is a key reason why Yorkshire are now one win away from the knockout stages.

Lyth, an England player of the past hoping to win a second opportunity at international level, has always enjoyed batting at Old Trafford.

His career-best first-class score (251) and previous career-best one-day score (136) were made at the venue, and this was his fifth one-day hundred and his second in this year’s Royal London tournament.

Incredibly, Lyth scored 50 of Yorkshire’s first 57 runs, reaching the milestone from 52 balls with nine fours.

Then it was Willey who took centre stage, striking Jennings for two leg-side sixes in the space of three balls en route to his own half-century from 49 balls.

Boundaries came in a blizzard as Lancashire lost control, knocked off their stride by the second-wicket pair.

Perhaps the highlight of Willey’s blitzkrieg was when he pulled Josh Bohannon into the deserted temporary stand on the Stretford side, Jennings having to climb almost to the top of the stand to retrieve the ball.

After reaching his third one-day hundred from 79 balls, Willey was dropped twice as Lancashire’s catching resembled village green standard.

Bohannon spilled him on 117 at deep mid-wicket off Livingstone, and then Jennings grassed him on 124 at mid-wicket off Stephen Parry.

Lyth was horrendously dropped on 128 by Bohannon at mid-wicket off Jordan Clark, and again on 136 by Clark himself at deep square-leg off Bailey, the ball trickling for four to take Lyth to his new best one-day score.

Eventually, Willey was bowled trying to pull Livingstone and Lyth caught at long-on off Bailey, their stand of 235 the third-highest for Yorkshire in one-day cricket.

Gary Ballance and Brook added useful runs towards the end as four Lancashire bowlers – Bailey, Livingstone, Parkinson and Clark – conceded 70 or more.

Livingstone’s 33-ball half-century caused one or two tremors in the Yorkshire ranks, but Matthew Fisher held a terrific skier to send him on his way, running back from mid-on. After Jennings picked out deep square, Dane Vilas, Haseeb Hameed and Bailey played sprightly cameos, but Yorkshire held firm.

Victory for Yorkshire tomorrow against Northamptonshire at Headingley will see the Vikings reach the knockout stages.