ANOTHER stylish all-round display by Australian master Darren Lehmann guided Yorkshire Phoenix to their first totesport National Cricket league win of the season.

He was the key man in a 75-run victory over an outclassed Scotland Saltires side at sun-kissed Headingley yesterday.

After being put in on a slow-paced wicket Yorkshire found runs hard work but Lehmann, coming in at four, scored a well-crafted unbeaten 88 to provide the platform for a total of 340-5 off their allotted 45 overs.

Scotland were never really in the hunt with Lehmann's 3-34 in a seven-over spell in the middle of the innings putting them way behind the asking rate.

Matthew Wood went cheaply, a victim of Scotland's overseas combination, Indian professional Sridharan taking a catch at square leg off the bowling of Pakistani import Yashir Arafat.

However, the opening ten overs saw Yorkshire with 61 on the board and looked well place.

Scotland skipper Craig Wright came on and had Michael Lumb (15) and Craig White (36) both caught behind by Colin Smith to leave the Tykes on 81-3.

Given Yorkshire's recent heavy defeats in the compettion, some home supporters feared the worst.

With Paul Hoffmann keeping Lehmann and Chris Taylor pinned down, Yorkshire's progress slowed. But once Ian Stanger removed Taylor, caught at mid-wicket, for a 47-ball 27, Lehmann moved up several gears with Vic Craven and Tim Bresnan as company.

The last dozen overs saw Yorkshire add 114 runs with Lehmann, so often Yorkshire's saviour, striking the ball cleanly after a watchful start.

Just when Yorkshire needed it they accelerated with Craven working the ball around for 21 and Bresnan coming in to thrash an undefeated 29 off only 14 balls, including a couple of sixes.

He and Lehmann put on 57 to set a challenging total for a side shot out for just 87 in their last game by Leicestershire Foxes.

England bowler Matthew Hoggard didn't get among the wickets for Phoenix but

made the first breakthrough when his fine throw from fine leg ran out Fraser Watts with only seven on the board.

Cautious Scotland laboured and in the space of four runs lost Sriran and opener Robert More to the nippy Chris Silverwood. With the score on 34 Wood gobbled up Sriran in the slips and then More was defeated by one that kept a bit low.

As Smith and Ryan Watson started to rebuild the Saltires' innings, Yorkshire captain White turned to Lehmann's slow bowling and was instantly rewarded as the Aussie trapped Smith lbw.

Another bowling change reaped an early dividend as Ian Stanger was bowled by medium pacer Craven leaving Scotland on 94-5.

Watson was progressing at a snail's pace and both he and Cedric English were having difficulty in reading Lehmann's deliveries and went in to their shells before they were winkled out.

English was bowled round his legs and when Watson belatedly went on the attack against Lehmann he top-edged the ball to John Blain in the deep mid-wicket area.

Arafat then entertained the 2,020 crowd with some nice wristy strokes - including a six off Lehmann - but Blain, playing against his former team-mates, mopped up the tail in quick order.

Lumb took a well judged catch to get rid of Brinkley, Blain earned an lbw decision against Wright from umpire Jeremy Lloyds then bowled Hoffmann first ball to finish with 3-34.

It had been a throughly professional performance by Yorkshire against a side lacking in ambition and it is hard to see Scotland making much of an impact in the competition unless they make use of home advantage later in the season after two successive heavy defeats on the road.

Australian star Matthew Elliott, who played for Yorkshire last summer, scored an unbeaten 112 as Glamorgan beat Northamptonshire by seven wickets at Cardiff in division one

The Victorian opener has now scored 272 runs in three innings without being dismissed..

Updated: 11:08 Tuesday, May 04, 2004