YORKSHIRE Vikings beat both their opponents and the rain to notch their first victory in the 2015 Royal London One Day Cup when they won a weather-delayed match against the Derbyshire Falcons by seven runs at the County Ground today.

Andrew Gale’s men had initally posted a score of 239-6 off 42 overs in a game which had been delayed by a wet outfield.

However, rain between the innings caused that target to be reduced to 197 off 29 overs under the Duckworth-Lewis system, a tough ask for the home side, and the Vikings’ attack eventually restricted Wayne Madsen’s batsmen in an exciting finish.

The match was a triumph for both Gary Ballance, who held his side’s together with an innings of 69 off 70 balls, and also for Yorkshire’s seamers, who held their nerve under a dynamic onslaught from the home batsmen.

Hamish Rutherford made 56 and Billy Godleman hit 45 as Derbyshire’s batsmen kept their target well within their compass throughout almost the whole of their innings.

The Falcons needed 77 off the last ten overs and 42 off the final four but Steve Patterson and Jack Brooks both took three wickets to clinch victory.

Earlier in the afternoon Ballance had triumphed over a slow wicket and outfield to guide his side to a formidable score.

Indeed, the highlight of Yorkshire’s innings was his 83-run fourth-wicket partnership with Jack Leaning which took the visitors from a rather average 91-3 in the 21st over to 174-4 in the 35th.

Leaning made 42 before he was caught at long leg by Matt Critchley off Mark Footitt but with a firm foundation from which to launch an attack, Ballance and Tim Bresnan put the Derbyshire attack to the sword in the closing overs of the innings with 36 runs coming off four overs.

Yorkshire’s later prosperity – 84 runs were scored off the final ten overs of the innings – was something of a far cry from the first hour or so of their innings when three batsmen had once again become established, only to lose their wickets.