Yorkshire gained a comfortable five wicket victory over Scottish Saltires in Edinburgh on Sunday to end a run of four consecutive defeats in the totesport League and they now need to go on winning matches if they are to climb high enough up the table to clinch promotion.

Chasing a target of 204, Yorkshire made it with 21 deliveries to spare with all of their batsmen making useful contributions apart from captain, Craig White, who lost his off-stump to Yasir Arafat in the first over.

Matthew Wood hit 23 before being bowled off an inside edge but Yorkshire never looked in any danger as Phil Jaques took control with some powerful legside strokes and with fellow left-hander, Michael Lumb, also in fine form, the runs flowed freely.

Jaques completed a solid half-century and had advanced 57 off 60 balls with eight fours and a six when he was caught behind off Saltires' captain, Craig Wright.

Lumb fell lbw to Jonathan Beukes for a fluent 35 and at 135-4 Yorkshire could have struggled if Anthony McGrath and Richard Pyrah had not quickly mastered the bowling.

They looked like taking Yorkshire through to the finishing line but in trying to hit Beukes for a straight six, McGrath was caught on the boundary edge for 42 from 56 balls with five boundaries, Pyrah ending unbeaten on 28.

Saltires got their innings off to an excellent start with some sensible batting from openers Fraser Watts and the left-handed Beukes, who put on 77 together in 15 overs, a slow outfield preventing the stand being even more profitable.

It was ended by McGrath, who pinned Watts lbw for 45 in his first over after the batsman had hit his two previous deliveries to the boundary.

McGrath, bowling off a much shorter run than usual, kept it tight throughout the remainder of his spell and in nine overs he gave away only 27 runs.

Beukes lost some of his fluency for a while after Watts had departed but he remained the backbone of the Saltires' innings until he had reached 78 off 107 with ten boundaries when he became one of three victims in a remarkable maiden over from Deon Kruis which brought him three wickets.

The South African, having returned for a second spell, started off by having Colin Smith holing out to Wood on the boundary edge and then he rattled Beukes' off-stump.

Still Kruis was not finished because off the last ball of the over he trapped Qasim Sheikh lbw to leave Saltires tottering on 163-6.

Three wickets had fallen without addition to the score and it became four as Arafat lashed out at Richard Dawson and presented Wood with his third catch on the edge without the fielder having to move a muscle.

The collapse left Saltires struggling to reach 200 but they made it through some positive late strokes from Ian Stanger, who finished unbeaten on 23.

Kruis enjoyed career-best figures of 3-27 and both Dawson and McGrath were also very much on the mark.

Updated: 09:04 Monday, August 08, 2005