YORKSHIRE Phoenix had Roses rivals Lancashire Lightning blushing deep crimson under the Headingley floodlights last night as they crushed them by nine wickets before there was even time for it to get dark.

Craig White (four for 14) and man-of-the-match Matthew Hoggard (three for 15) both turned in career-best bowling performances as title-holders Lancashire were blasted out for only 68, their lowest ever score in county league cricket.

It beat their previous worst of 71 against Essex at Chelmsford in 1981 and Lancashire could offer no excuses last night because they won the toss and predictably decided to bat first.

Their agony did not end with the batting slump, however, because Yorkshire's acting captain Darren Lehmann then tore into Lancashire's bowling to plunder an unbeaten 54 off just 43 balls with eight boundaries.

The Aussie blasted the winning four with a mere 13.5 overs gone and the contest was all over by 7.15pm with the floodlights still not really needed.

The stunning victory has shot Yorkshire up into third place and given them an outside chance of snatching the title but it left Lancashire firmly nailed to the bottom of the table with relegation now looking unavoidable.

The 8,500 crowd, which produced takings of £30,000 through the turnstiles, was richly entertained from the moment Hoggard knocked back John Crawley's off-stump with a real snorter and the fast bowler had still not conceded a run by the fifth ball of his third over when Sourav Ganguly flicked a catch to Vic Craven at mid-wicket.

It became 21 for three as Neil Fairbrother steered Hoggard to third man where Darren Gough sent in a bullet-like return to Richard Blakey who whipped off the bails before the left-hander had completed his second run but it was hard to see how third umpire Tony Clarkson could have a good view of things from the television replays which were not square on.

Then it was White's turn to step in and he began even more sensationally than Hoggard, Graham Lloyd taking an ungainly waft at his first ball to be caught behind by Richard Blakey and Joe Scuderi playing on to his stumps later in the over.

White continued the carnage as Warren Hegg aimed straight to Lehmann at extra cover before Ian Austin had his middle stump rattled by Hoggard and Lancashire were 47 for eight with the needless running out of Glen Chapple.

Andy Flintoff had looked on helplessly while wickets were toppling and after knocking up four boundaries in his top score of 28 he was bowled playing over a drive at White to leave Gavin Hamilton to wrap up things by having Gary Yates caught by Vaughan.

Craven soon cut Austin to Fairbrother at point but there was no stopping Lehmann who took complete charge while Vaughan watched on in admiration.

Lehmann was most severe on Austin but Mike Smethurst also suffered under the onslaught which gained Yorkshire ample revenge for being bowled out by Lancashire for 81 under the Headingley floodlights exactly two years' ago.

SCOREBOARD

Norwich Union National League

Yorkshire Phoenix v Lancashire Lightning

at Headingley

Lancashire Lightning

Crawley b Hoggard 3

Ganguly c Craven b Hoggard 11

Flintoff b White 28

Fairbrother run out 7

Lloyd c Blakey b White 1

Scuderi b White 0

Hegg c Lehmann b White 4

Austin b Hoggard 2

Chapple run out 0

Yates c Vaughan b Hamilton 4

Smethurst not out 3

Extras b3 nb2 5

Total (23.3 overs) 68

Fall: 1-7 2-14 3-21 4-32 5-32 6-40 7-43 8-47 9-62

Bowling: Gough 6-2-24-0 Hoggard 9-4-15-3 White 6-0-14-4 Hamilton 2.3-0-12-1

Yorkshire Phoenix

Craven c Fairbrother b Austin 3

Vaughan not out 11

Lehmann not out 54

Extras lb1 w3 4

Total 1 wkt (13.5 overs) 72

Fall: 1-4

Did Not Bat: A McGrath, G M Fellows, R J Blakey, G M Hamilton, C White, I D Fisher, M J Hoggard, D Gough.

Bowling: Chapple 5-0-17-0 Austin 6.5-1-39-1 Smethurst 2-0-15-0

Umpires: J W Lloyds and A G T Whitehead

Yorkshire Phoenix (4pts) beat Lancashire Lightning (0pts) by 9 wkts