A suicidal batting collapse by Yorkshire shattered their dreams of a Lord's final as unfancied Warwickshire beat them by four wickets at Headingley yesterday to go through to the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy semi-finals.

The defeat was all the harder to stomach after Yorkshire had only two days earlier fired out the same opponents for 59 to win the Norwich Union clash by the massive margin of 175 runs.

Despite having Darren Gough and Craig White back in their side, Yorkshire were unable to cause the same havoc again as Warwickshire moved determinedly to their target of 189.

But it was the batsmen who were to blame for Yorkshire's demise, the last five wickets crashing in the space of 25 balls while only 15 runs were being added.

There were still 35 balls to go when the last wicket fell and the collapse - which included three run-outs - later drew a sharp response from disappointed coach Wayne Clarke.

"It was just rubbish to lose five wickets in the way we did and to be all out with four overs remaining was criminal," he said.

Put in to bat, Yorkshire looked comfortably placed at 173 for five in the 45th over. The running out of top-scorer Anthony McGrath opened the floodgates.

Skipper David Byas hit Dougie Brown hard into the covers and set off for a run but after flinging himself on the ground to stop the ball Nick Knight then hurled down the stumps at the bowler's end with McGrath still short.

It was a tough way for McGrath to go because he had batted soundly and sensibly and was looking all set for his maiden century in the competition. He played well on both sides of the wicket, striking eight fours off 136 deliveries.

Richard Blakey was caught behind off his first ball and Gough was at the crease as both Byas and Ryan Sidebottom were also run out before last man Kirby swished at his second ball to give wicketkeeper Keith Piper his fourth catch of the innings.

Yorkshire had started badly with the early dismissal of Matthew Wood, who was not alone in getting out to a wild shot. But Gavin Hamilton helped McGrath stage a recovery with a second wicket stand of 63 before having a big swing at Mo Sheikh and being bowled.

With Chris Silverwood being omitted as a precautionary measure because of a slight back strain, Kirby shared the new ball with Gough whose first ball was a bouncer which struck Knight on the side of his protective helmet and left him slightly dazed.

For practically the first time since joining Yorkshire, Kirby lacked control and he was replaced by Hamilton after three overs had cost him 21 runs. In his first over Hamilton was cut savagely to backward point by Wagh and Gary Fellows clung on to a brilliant diving catch low to his left.

Strangely, Hamilton was allowed only two overs and did not return to the attack. However, the introduction of White and Sidebottom gave Yorkshire grounds for optimism as Warwickshire lost three wickets in three overs and were struggling on 63 for four.

Sidebottom, easily the pick of Yorkshire's six bowlers, found plenty of movement to have both Knight and Michael Powell caught behind while White also had David Hemp taken by Blakey.

Warwickshire could easily have folded, but in came Trevor Penney to hold things together with a composed 58 not out off 80 balls with six fours and a six to snatch the man-of-the-match award.

He slammed Fellows over mid-wicket for six before hitting the next ball through extra cover for four. Neither the return of Gough, nor White, unsettled him.

Kirby had one joyful moment when Brown skied him to McGrath at mid-on and Sidebottom came back to flatten Piper's off-stump, but Penney found a solid partner in Ashley Giles. Their unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 59 in 12 overs knocked the stuffing out of Yorkshire.

Although Gough had little luck and conceded only 28 runs, he failed to take a wicket, putting further pressure on England's out-of-form strike bowler.