Surrey, Yorkshire win RLODC quarter-final thrillers

Surrey beat Northants Steelbacks by one wicket while Yorkshire Vikings held on to beat Kent Spitfires by 11 runs to book a meeting with each other in the semi-finals of the Royal London One-Day Cup.

Yorkshire Vikings will host Surrey on 28th August before Warwickshire take on Somerset at Edgbaston one day later.

Wantage Road, Northampton: Surrey 279-9 beat Nortants Steelbacks 276 by one wicket

Kumar Sangakkara emulated long-time international team mate Mahela Jayawardene's effort for Somerset yesterday with an unbeaten century to guide Surrey to a close one-wicket win over Northants.

Batting first, Northants were bowled out for 276, Josh Cobb getting them off to a good start with 66 in 63 balls.

Jade Dernbach helped Surrey fight back with four for 39 only for Alex Wakely (45) and Rory Kleinveldt (76 not out in 62 balls) to help Northants counter attack. Tom Curran and Stuart Meaker also took a brace of wickets for Surrey.

Richard Gleeson struck early to remove Steven Davies for a duck before Jason Roy (42) and Sangakkara added 86 for the second wicket before it looked like things were going wrong for Surrey.

While Sangakkara played a fine knock at one end, he struggled to build partnership as batsmen came and went at the other end, although Curran made 26 and Ben Foakes 16 out of a partnership worth 74 for the fourth wicket.

Graeme White and Cobb grabbed a brace of wickets and after Kleinveldt removed James Burke for four, Gareth Batty (3) and Meaker (1) were both run out to set up a frantic finale.

And it was Sangakkara, with Dernbach, not out on eight for company, who sealed things for Surrey by hitting Azharullah for four from the last ball of the game.

Sangakkara's outstanding 130 not out came from 145 balls and included 11 fours and two sixes.

Canterbury: Yorkshire Vikings 256-9 beat Kent Spitfires 245 by 11 runs

On a slow and testing pitch in Canterbury, Yorkshire coped best and then had the bowlers to deal with Kent's dangerous batsmen to keep their attempt to win all three domestic trophies alive.

Adam Lyth coped best with dry and dusty conditions early on and struck 88 in 96 balls for Yorkshire, after which Joe Root made 45 and Gary Ballance 37.

Kent were able to keep things tight with the ball once Lyth and Root's 90-run stand for the second wicket was broken, Matt Coles taking three for 39, Will Gidman two for 36 and Charlie Hartley two for 42.

Yorkshire struck early when David Willey found swing to trap Daniel Bell-Drummond in front but Joe Denly's 31 and Sam Northeast's 23 kept Kent well up with the run-rate before both were dismissed by Liam Plunkett, who was the pick of the Yorkshire bowlers with four for 52.

Sam Billings (1) also failed only for half-centuries from Alex Blake and Darren Stevens to put Yorkshire under real pressure. Blake needed just 36 balls to reach 50 but fell two ball later edging a Willey short ball to Jonny Bairstow.

Stevens hit four fours and two sixes before he was brilliantly caught and bowled by Plunkett diving to his left and Gidman (19) fell in similar manner, Plunkett getting both hands to a simpler chance.

Kent kept fighting, Coles making 22, James Tredwell 17 and Hartley 15 but they eventually succumbed when Tredwell was trapped in front by Willey after an Adil Rashid googly had Hartley out leg before.

Willey finished with three for 34 and Rashid two for 43.

© Cricket World 2016