PETER Handscomb’s brilliant century helped Yorkshire take a significant step towards the knockout stages of the Royal London one-day Cup as they breezed past Derbyshire at Headingley.

Handscomb’s 140 off 112 balls was his first century for the county and his maiden List A career ton.

He was the main contributor to a record-breaking total of 349-7 after Yorkshire were invited to bat on an excellent pitch.

The visitors then posted a gutsy 334-8 thanks to Wayne Madsen’s 112 off 104 balls.

Ben Coad claimed 4-63 from 10 overs for the Vikings, who won by 15 runs.

This was Yorkshire’s highest List A score on this ground, beating the 335-5 they scored against Durham here last Wednesday.

It was also the highest total Derbyshire have conceded against county opposition in List A cricket.

Handscomb’s timing was exceptional.

Dominant without being destructive, he accumulated at an impressive rate, posting 50 off 47 balls and 100 off 94.

He hit his six sixes between long-on and square-leg, and he is now the competition’s leading run-scorer with 407 from five innings.

The 26-year-old Victorian, dropped at deep cover on 135, shared a partnership of 81 for the third wicket with Jack Leaning (39).

But the main stand of the innings came with Gary Ballance, 156 inside 21 overs for the fourth wicket, with the captain making 63 off 57.

The signs that this was a day for runs was there almost immediately as Alex Lees pulled his first delivery off Ben Cotton for six – the seventh ball of the day. He hit his next for four through the covers.

Yorkshire actually lost four wickets in the last six overs of their innings.

Ballance was caught at deep mid-wicket and Handscomb stumped to successive balls from Sri Lanka leg-spinner Jeevan Mendis.

Derbyshire never looked like threatening in the chase, despite Madsen’s fourth List A ton.

They slipped to 87-4 inside 17 overs as Tim Bresnan, Coad, Matthew Waite and Matthew Fisher all struck.

Waite forced opener Ben Slater (43) to chop on deep into the 16th over having earlier conceded two fours and a pulled six to the left-hander.

When Fisher had Alex Hughes caught behind in the next, Yorkshire were virtually home and dry.

Madsen’s century was nothing more than a consolatory effort.

After losing Mendis, caught at deep mid-wicket off Karl Carver’s fourth ball as the score fell to 126-5 in the 25th, Madsen reverse swept the same bowler for six and four in the 33rd.

Madsen, whilst sharing a 117-run stand with Daryn Smit for the sixth wicket, brought up his 96-ball ton as the score moved to 230-5 after 40 overs, with 120 needed to win.

But he fell to Coad in the 43rd over, miscueing to cover. Luis Reece did similar later in the over as the score fell to 246-7.

Matt Critchley hit 49 off 21 to make the game look closer before falling to Coad in the last. Smit finished 77 not out.

Meanwhile, it is understood that Yorkshire have made an approach to sign Worcestershire batsman Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who scored a 50-over century against them on Friday.

Kohler-Cadmore played under 15s cricket with Yorkshire alongside Leaning and Coad. His family still live in Hull, and he is out of contract at New Road this winter.