Middlesex went over to their new base away from Lord's to take on Yorkshire Vikings in a YB40 game at Radlett.
Yorkshire won the toss and batted, this soon looked like an interesting move as they found themselves 18-2, Toby Roland-Jones bagging Andrew Gale, caught on the boundary by Joe Denly and Rich Pyrah caught by Eoin Morgan at point. Gary Ballance and Phil Jacques then rebuilt the innings, and Ballance in particular enjoyed swinging sixes, four of them, but, after the fourth, tried to swing Gareth Berg for another, only to be well caught by Paul Stirling on the boundary for 40, 103-3 after 20 overs. They would have been looking for 260 or so, with a good platform laid, a sunny day and a flat pitch.
Jacques completed a sensible 50 from 68 balls with a tidy three and then cut loose, taking Berg for 3 consecutive fours before knocking the ball around for easy runs as he and Adam Lyth brought up the 50 partnership in the 28th over, but then James Harris got the crucial break, Lyth fell caught behind by Adam Rossington for 14 and three balls later Jacques was caught by Morgan for an excellent 81 off 86.
Rashid and Andy Hodd added a quick 52 for the 6th wicket before Hodd was bowled by Roland-Jones then Tim Bresnan's England warm up went well, holing out to Stirling off Harris for a duck next over. 28 came off the final three overs, with Will Rhodes (10) giving Roland-Jones his best figures in this format (4-44) as Yorkshire finished 236-8 with Rashid unbeaten on 46.
The Middlesex reply started badly, Stirling having his stumps detonated for a 2nd ball duck by Iain Wardlaw, but Denly and Malan began to find boundaries quickly and had brought up the 50 partnership in the ninth over. Denly had reached 38 off 34 when he was bowled by Pyrah on 65. This brought in the big fish Morgan, but he wasn't to have much impact on the chase, attempting to reverse sweep Rashid first ball, he was given LBW, though acted as is he thought he's hit it, 65-3 and Yorkshire back in this and Rossington in only fourth game now joining Malan.
The pair soon took on the bowling, Malan in particular began to cut loose now finding boundaries with regularity as the required rate never went much above 6 an over and the first six was to come with Malan swinging Rhodes over midwicket soon after reaching a 59 ball 50. He raced from 51 to 88 in 18 balls but was not to have a deserved hundred, fishing at Bresnan outside off to edge though to Hodd for 91 off 88 balls with 10 fours and 2 sixes. At 201-4 this left 36 needed from the final 10 overs, Rossington, having reached his own 50 from 49 balls, saw Middlesex home to a six wicket win with 26 balls to spare in an unbeaten 79, a comprehensive win at the new "home away from home".
