TIM BRESNAN delivered his second impressive performance of the week to move Yorkshire closer to qualification for the Royal London One-Day Cup quarter-finals at Headingley.

The 29-year-old England all-rounder claimed 4-28 to help dismiss Worcestershire for 141 and Yorkshire completed a six-wicket victory with 19.4 overs remaining to move top of group 'A' on run-rate from Gloucestershire, with the top four of the two groups qualifying for the next stage.

Bresnan’s outstanding display, which included wickets with successive balls, followed an equally eye-catching display at Northampton, when his final two overs conceded only eight runs to help secure an equally emphatic six-wicket triumph.

“I’ve been working on a few technical things,” admitted Bresnan. “You have spells when you feel in good rhythm and I suppose I’m in the middle of one of those spells.

“I do like one-day cricket, I do like the white ball and I don’t particularly mind bowling in the powerplays, up top and at the death.

I find it a nice, exciting challenge and if you bowl pretty well there’s an opportunity to pick up wickets as well.”

Bresnan set the tone for Yorkshire after Worcestershire won the toss and decided to bat first, and by the time he had completed a new ball spell of 7-2-24-3, they were struggling on 54-4.

He found extra pace and bounce, bowling Tim Fell off an inside edge before Alex Kervezee fell to the next ball, caught at the second attempt by Alex Lees at first slip and then removed Tom Kohler-Cadmore in his next over, caught by Adam Lyth at second slip, only three balls after an appeal for a catch behind was rejected.

Once Bresnan’s spell was completed, Sheriff Hutton Bridge bowler Matthew Fisher maintained the pressure on Worcestershire’s batsmen. Still only 16 and playing his first senior match of the summer as a replacement for the rested Steve Patterson, he played a key role in Yorkshire’s victory by winning an lbw appeal against the dangerous Daryl Mitchell, while Adil Rashid choked their middle order with 3-21.

It took an adventurous 39-run last wicket stand between Joe Leach, who finished unbeaten on 43, and New Zealander Mitchell McClenaghan, to guide Worcestershire to a respectable total, but one that never seemed capable of seriously testing Yorkshire.

Their reply did not start well with Lees, who scored his first one-day century for Yorkshire at Northampton, caught at mid-on trying to loft McClenaghan back over his head in the second over, while Kane Williamson was dropped by Kohler-Cadmore at first slip after he had made just one.

It was a crucial miss with Williamson top-scoring with 43 off 23 balls and dominating a 50-run second run partnership that was ended when Lyth edged Leach behind to begin a mini-collapse of three wickets in seven overs.

Williamson fell lbw to fellow countryman McClenaghan on the back foot while Andrew Gale was bowled to earn him his third wicket with 42 runs required for victory, but a confident unbeaten stand between Jack Leaning and Rashid secured their comprehensive triumph.

SCOREBOARD

Royal London One-day Cup Group 'A'

Yorkshire v Worcestershire

at Headingley Carnegie

(Worcestershire won toss)

Worcestershire Innings

D K H Mitchell lbw b Fisher 33

R K Oliver lbw b Brooks 5

T C Fell b Bresnan 10

A N Kervezee c Lees b Bresnan 0

T Kohler-Cadmore c Lyth b Bresnan 1

R A Whiteley lbw b A U Rashid 13

O B Cox b A U Rashid 10

J Leach not out 43

S H Choudhry c Hodd b Brooks 0

J D Shantry st Hodd b A U Rashid 7

M J McClenaghan b Bresnan 16

Extras (w1 nb2) 3

Total (43.2 overs) 141

Fall: 1-15 2-42 3-42 4-48 5-54 6-67 7-78 8-85 9-102.

Bowling: Bresnan 7.2-2-28-4, Brooks 10-1-34-2, Fisher 9-1-29-1, Pyrah 7-1-29-0, A U Rashid 10-2-21-3.

Yorkshire Innings

A Lyth c Cox b Leach 14

A Z Lees c Fell b McClenaghan 3

K S Williamson lbw b McClenaghan 43

A W Gale b McClenaghan 29

J A Leaning not out 20

A U Rashid not out 27

Extras (lb1 w3 nb4) 8

Total 4 wkts (30.2 overs) 144

Fall: 1-5 2-55 3-77 4-100.

Bowling: Shantry 8-2-22-0, McClenaghan 8-0-57-3, Leach 6-1-30-1, Choudhry 6-0-16-0, Whiteley 2.2-0-18-0.

Yorkshire beat Worcestershire by 6 wkts