Yorkshire Phoenix made sure of staying in the top flight of the CGU National League next year by signing off with a splendid 28 runs victory over Warwickshire Bears at Headingley yesterday.

Had Phoenix lost, they would have to wait to see how other results panned out next Sunday before knowing their fate but now they are safe whatever happens.

A crowd approaching 10,000 saw Yorkshire bat with great enterprise to reach 238 for three, their highest score of the season, and they then gave a marvellous fielding exhibition to keep the lid on a spirited reply by Warwickshire.

Craig White ended the match by bowling Michael Powell with nine balls remaining to finish with four for 39 while Richard Blakey also distinguished himself with three catches and two stumpings to give him 32 dismissals for the season, a total which seems certain will bring him the top wicketkeeper's prize.

Winning the toss, Yorkshire got off to their best start of the campaign with an opening stand of 96 between White and Michael Vaughan in which both batsmen played some powerful shots, White driving off-spinner Neil Smith over long off for six.

The pair were parted when White stepped down the pitch to Smith but missed and was left stranded, his 43 coming off 68 balls with three fours and a six.

The good start allowed David Byas to go positively from the start and he soon drove Dougie Brown over long on for six, but when Vaughan tried to hit Tim Munton out of the ground he was well caught on the square leg boundary by David Hemp for 56 from 86 deliveries with six fours.

Byas steamed to his 50 before walloping Brown for a second six over long on and the captain had blasted 67 off 57 balls with six fours when he was caught hitting out at Smith, leaving Blakey (34 not out) and Anthony McGrath (20 not out) to dash up 42 from the last five overs.

Ryan Sidebottom put Warwickshire on the defensive with a wicket in each of his first two overs, thanks to two stunning catches, Byas diving far to his right at second slip to hold Smith's nudge and Gary Fellows swooping in the covers to send back Nick Knight.

Hemp and Ostler staged a recovery until White intervened with two wickets in five balls to leave Warwickshire on 67 for four. Hemp looked unhappy to be given out caught behind but there was no doubting Trevor Penney's similar dismissal to his fourth ball after surviving three consecutive appeals for lbw.

Soon after completing his half-century, Ostler was magnificently stumped by Blakey off Ian Fisher and when Blakey also whipped off the bails as Brown missed a reverse sweep at Vaughan Yorkshire held the upper hand.

Ashley Giles and Tony Frost fell to further stunning catches from Blakey and Fellows respectively, leaving Chris Silverwood and White to mop up.

Before the game, Yorkshire presented a Sir Leonard Hutton character jug to umpire Nigel Plews who retires at the end of the season.

Lancashire Lightning's five-wicket victory over Kent Spitfires gave them the CGU National League first division title with one game remaining..

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