YORKSHIRE produced a stunning come from behind victory over Essex at Chelmsford to reach the semi-finals of the Royal London one-day Cup and win for the fifth time in a row.

The buoyant Vikings travel to Hampshire on Monday (11am) having defended a total of 259, after recovering from early strife at 45-4.

The pitch looked good, but both sides struggled on a sluggish surface offering some uneven bounce.

Essex slipped to 74-4 in the 21st over of their reply to 259-7 and were bowled out for 234 with five balls to spare. Adam Wheater top-scored with 78.

Captain Steve Patterson was exceptional for 4-36 from 10 overs, as were all the White Rose bowlers.

Gary Ballance top-scored with 91, while Jack Leaning made 57. They shared a superb 129 for the fifth wicket before Tim Bresnan and Matthew Fisher added a swashbuckling 71 for the seventh wicket. Bresnan made 41 and Fisher 35 not out.

Yorkshire’s chances were undermined pretty quickly. They slipped to four down inside 11 overs after electing to bat, losing Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Jonny Tattersall lbw to Jamie Porter for ducks.

Harry Brook and Adam Lyth also fell cheaply, with Porter later finishing with 3-25 from nine overs.

But the Vikings found a way to post a competitive, and ultimately winning, total.

Ballance, who offered a return catch to New Zealand quick Neil Wagner on 43, and Leaning united for 28 overs, with the former hitting two sixes in one Ravi Bopara over. On reaching 50, the club captain recorded his 4,000th List A run.

Ballance fell caught behind cutting against Wagner. That left the score at 174-5 in the 39th, and it quickly became 188-6 when Leaning was lbw to Simon Harmer’s off-spin.

But, again, Yorkshire recovered through Bresnan and Fisher.

The Vikings were without their six internationals, while Essex were without Ryan ten Doeschate (suspended) and Sam Cook (injured). But they were able to select Alastair Cook.

However, Cook did not damage the disciplined visitors, who never let the Eagles get away.

Ben Coad had Cook, uncharacteristically heaving across the line, caught at mid-on via a top-edge for 11 as the score was restricted to 31-1 after 10 overs.

With only four more runs added, Tom Westley was run out backing up as Coad got a hand on a straight drive from Varun Chopra, who was next to go in the 17th over when he swept Karl Carver’s left-arm spin to deep square-leg as the score fell to 59-3.

And when Patterson trapped Dan Lawrence lbw in the 21st over, Yorkshire hopes were high at 74-4.

Things got better when Bopara holed out to deep mid-wicket off Patterson to make it 89-5 in the 25th.

Essex reached 30 overs at 114-5, needing 145 with Wheater and Ashar Zaidi together. But the latter was bowled around his legs by Patterson almost immediately as Essex slipped to 123-6.

That became seven when Harmer chopped Carver on at 138-7 in the 36th and 159-8 when Fisher bowled big-hitting Matt Coles in the 39th.

Wheater’s presence at the crease ensured Yorkshire weren’t completely home and dry, and he took the target down to 44 off 31 balls before being bowled by Patterson.

But Wagner and Porter failed to get 26 off the last over as Fisher bowled Wagner for 35.