Yates and Woakes assist take Birmingham in direction of quarters

Birmingham 180 for 7 (Yates 66, Benjamin 45) beat Yorkshire 176 for 8 (Mousley 4-28)

Birmingham Bears put one foot within the quarter-finals of the Vitality Blast with a nervy four-run win over stumbling Yorkshire Vikings because the North Group leaders defended a 181 goal at Headingley.

Vikings have now misplaced their final three video games – six defeats in 12 – they usually should now win their final two fixtures to have any probability of reaching the quarter-finals.

Birmingham ought to have posted greater than 180 for 7 having elected to bat, however they misplaced common wickets throughout the second half of an innings in the end held collectively by left-handed Yates.

Dom Bess with 1 for 16 from three overs and seamer Wiese’s 1 for 26 from 4 stood out for Yorkshire, who had been sloppy within the subject – each on the bottom and catching.

Yates was dropped on 50 moments after reaching his second fifty of the marketing campaign in 38 balls.

The Bears had a vivid begin checked when Alex Davies on 15 steered seamer Matthew Revis’s first ball to brief third – 37 for 1 within the fifth over, which grew to become 50 for 1 after six.

Yates and Benjamin settled for a few overs earlier than the latter, particularly, put his foot down.

Benjamin hit 5 fours and a straight six within the ninth and tenth overs mixed off Revis and leg-spinner Jafer Chohan, taking the rating to 92 for 1 at midway and him into the 40’s.

However, simply wanting a half-century, he drilled Jordan Thompson to mid-off, leaving the Bears at 97 for two and beginning a little bit of a collapse.

And wickets continued to fall. Mousley was run out following a mix-up with Yates earlier than Ed Barnard and Jacob Bethell holed out off Dom Bess and David Wiese, leaving the rating at 164 for six within the 18th.

Yates was robust on either side of the wicket, pulling his solely six over square-leg.

But the Bears weren’t in a position to put themselves within the unassailable place they maybe ought to have finished.

Yorkshire additionally made a vivid begin to their innings, with Dawid Malan and Adam Lyth taking leg-side sixes off Brookes – in for rested Hassan Ali – within the second over.

But Malan holed out to deep cowl off Maxwell’s offspin and James Wharton edged Woakes to slide within the subsequent two overs – 32 for two after 4.

Lyth appeared good for 34, and so did captain Shan Masood for 21. Both performed some eye-catching pictures. But Yorkshire’s current Achilles heel has been batters failing to construct on begins.

So after they each fell in successive overs – Lyth caught at brief third off Mousley’s third ball and Masood bowled by a fantastic thing about a googly from left-arm wristspinner Jake Lintott, Vikings followers had been fearing the worst at 73 for 4 within the eleventh. Mousley trapped Jonny Tattersall lbw in his subsequent over

But house hopes had been raised as all]rounders Thompson and Revis powerfully turned the tide. Thompson was robust to leg, whereas Revis hit significantly nicely down the bottom in a brisk 54 stand.

They took the goal to a nonetheless unlikely 41 from three overs at 140 for five. However, Woakes returned to get Revis caught at deep square-leg for 32, conceding solely two off his final over and paving the way in which for a cushty run to the road for the Bears.

Mousley’s third wicket was Thompson brilliantly caught at long-on by a diving Jacob Bethell for 34. He additionally bowled Bess to depart Brookes with respiration house within the final, although it bought nearer than it ought to have because of Wiese’s lusty late assault with 20.