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Hamilton hint to selectors

Yorks (231-6) bt Leics (131) by 100 runs

A Hospitality marquee positioned on the grass beyond the boundary rope gave Grace Road added charm as Leicestershire became the eighth county to host day-night cricket.

Their entry into this market is likely to produce a cash surplus from a crowd approaching 4,500, but a more important profit line was rubbed out by Gavin Hamilton in a spell of four for 33 in seven overs.

Leicestershire needed a fourth successive National League win to move into second place; instead Yorkshire rebounded from a recent defeat by Essex to go eight points clear at the top of the First Division.

Hamilton hurried the match along, and 11.4 overs were unused when the last wicket went down. Hamilton's transition to his ultimate goal of Test cricket for England will not necessarily be speeded up by one-day performances, but it never does any harm to bowl this well in a live TV match.

The effect was such that Yorkshire did not feel the absence of Darren Gough, Chris Silverwood and Matthew Hoggard as Leicestershire flopped into a game of four-and-out. Seven boundaries were interspersed among Hamilton's four wickets in the space of 21 balls.

Darren Stevens carved to backward point, deviation off the seam did for Vince Wells and Iain Sutcliffe, and Ben Smith went to an exceptional catch by Richard Blakey. All that Leicestershire had left was a touch of defiance by Paul Nixon and some thumping blows by Jon Dakin.

Yorkshire first had the look of potential champions during a consistent batting display.

Greg Blewett and Craig White, with two sixes in a meaty 48, took control with a stand of 81 in 15 overs and Leicestershire dropped two crucial chances before Anthony McGrath and Richard Harden contributed heavily to 70 from the last 10.