Anthony McGrath's career-best 73 not out helped Yorkshire clinch a crucial second Friends Provident Twenty20 win as they comprehensively downed Lancashire by 17 runs at Headingley tonight.

McGrath's effort was his first half-century for two years and, helped out by Andrew Gale's 34 off 30 balls, the 34-year-old crashed five fours and four sixes in 50 balls, to boost his side to 155 for six in front of a 10,200 crowd.

Yorkshire stumbled to 104 for five in the 16th over, but McGrath punished Glen Chapple and Sajid Mahmood to help score 52 off the last five.

Lancashire, despite Paul Horton's 30, fell from 46 for one to 98 for six under pressure from the likes of Adil Rashid, Rich Pyrah and Azeem Rafiq.

Leg-spinner Rashid continued his fine run of form with two for 22 as the Red Rose were all out for 138.

Steve Patterson also claimed three wickets in five balls late on for a career best four for 30, but the game was won by then.

Gale, having won the toss, lost opener Herschelle Gibbs at the start of the second over, caught and bowled by Tom Smith, before Jacques Rudolph was deceived by a Sajid Mahmood slower ball.

Gale pulled Chapple for six to ensure Yorkshire's run-rate was reasonably healthy at 40 for two after six.

But left-arm spinner Stephen Parry removed Gale and Gerard Brophy before Jonny Bairstow provided Smith with his second wicket to leave his side five down.

Then McGrath got going, smearing Mahmood over mid-wicket for six and pulling Chapple over the ropes in the 19th.

Horton hit five fours in a 22-ball knock to get the visiting side's reply up and running, despite the loss of Smith, bowled by Patterson with the first ball of the second over.

Simon Katich, the Australian left-hander, also added 27, but Horton was run out by Gibbs before Rashid took two wickets in two overs to turn the contest the home side's way.

Having taken three wickets in each of his last two matches, the country's leading wicket-taker had Stephen Moore caught at mid-wicket, by a diving Tino Best, and Katich caught and bowled to leave the visitors four down in the 12th.

And when Brendon McCullum found Pyrah at wide long on to get Rafiq in the wickets column, the points were safe for Yorkshire with their opponents at 89 for five in the 15th.

Patterson got Gareth Cross, Mark Chilton and Chapple all caught in the deep for Yorkshire, who face Durham at the Riverside tomorrow night.