David Warner on Yorkshire Cricket

Yorkshire never even had to break into a sweat in order to preserve their 100 per cent winning record in the Benson and Hedges Cup this season when they beat Durham at Headingley on Saturday by eight wickets with almost 16 overs to spare.

It was all so simple for David Byas and his team, who made it four wins out of four deservedly to finish top of their group.

Even allowing for Durham being without their Australian captain David Boon, who has broken his big toe, and John Morris and Jon Lewis suffering leg injuries while batting, the visitors were never in the same class as Yorkshire.

Durham's misfortunes could not be blamed on second rate bowling which barely tested Yorkshire, who charged to their victory with an unbroken century stand in 20 overs between David Byas and Darren Lehmann.

Byas hit a beefy 52 off 87 balls with five fours but the captain was a slowcoach compared to Lehmann, who thrashed 65 off only 63 deliveries with seven fours and a six.

The Australian knocked up an unbeaten 102 in the previous B&H game and if he and the rest of the team can maintain their present rampaging form then an appearance in the Lord's final is a distinct possibility.

Although it was the two left-handers who saw Yorkshire home, openers Anthony McGrath and Michael Vaughan set the tone for what was to follow and 38 runs were already on the board by the fourth over when Vaughan fell lbw to Melvyn Betts.

McGrath continued to play some rasping shots through the off side until he looked unhappy to be adjudged caught behind off Yorkshireman John Wood for 35.

Former Yorkshire all-rounder Michael Foster emerged from the game with plenty of credit after opening the Durham innings and making 18 and then escaping much of the carnage by bowling six overs for 20 runs.

Despite Yorkshire's overall supremacy, the man-of-the-match gold award went to Lewis, who was the only Durham batsman to stand up to keen bowling for any length of time. His 67 came off 87 balls with six fours.

It was near the end of his innings that Lewis pulled a hamstring and had to have a runner - as had Morris earlier on when he tore a calf muscle.

Neither player was able to field and one of Durham's two substitute fielders was Yorkshire's own 12th man Ian Fisher.

Chris Silverwood was the pick of Yorkshire's bowlers with three for 38 while Paul Hutchison with three for 14 and Darren Gough with three for 27 both enjoyed their best figures in the competition.

England selector Graham Gooch was at the match and with the Texaco Trophy squad being chosen next weekend is bound to report back positively on several Yorkshire players, especially Gough and Silverwood, but he must have been pretty dismayed by the overall standard of Durham, who he assists in a coaching capacity.

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