For the second time within a week Richard Blakey helped to post a new batting record for Yorkshire Phoenix - and once again his side stumbled to a humiliating defeat in Division One of the Norwich Union League.

Dismissed for only 153 at Scarborough, Yorkshire could then do nothing to stop Leicestershire Foxes rushing to their target in a mere 18.4 overs with six wickets to spare.

It was Yorkshire's fourth consecutive defeat in the competition and another bitterly disappointing performance since the highlight of their season nine days ago when they won the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy at Lord's.

The team were driven with the trophy to North Marine Road on an open top bus but a dustcart would have been a more appropriate vehicle to transport them away from Scarborough.

Yorkshire decided to switch the pitch because the original one looked unsuitable but they could hardly have fared worse than they did as they slumped to 45 for seven, Indian Javagal Srinath picking up three for 17 in his opening eight-over spell.

Three of the wickets fell to edges to wicketkeeper Neil Burns and all of the main batsmen struggled to get the ball off the square.

But Blakey was then joined by Richard Dawson and they carefully worked the ball around before going for some more ambitious shots in an 89 stand in 21 overs.

It beat Yorkshire's previous best for the eighth wicket in county league cricket of 64 between David Bairstow and Arnie Sidebottom against Sussex, also at Scarborough, in 1976.

Only last Monday, Blakey and Ryan Sidebottom had put on 64 against Glamorgan to set a new tenth wicket record for the county.

The stand was ended when Dawson, having just hit Richard Stemp for his fifth boundary, was caught at extra cover by Trevor Ward for 41, but Blakey stayed until the last over when he was run out for 60 off 94 balls with six fours, his highest score in over two years.

Sheriff Hutton-born Nick Thornicroft celebrated his Norwich Union League debut by trapping Ward lbw in his first over and the 17-year-old paceman continued to bowl tidily but his colleagues were soon taken apart.

Darren Stevens thrashed Steven Kirby for four consecutive fours before picking up Thornicroft and clipping him high over mid-wicket for Leicestershire's 700th six since the league began.

After blasting 30 from 19 balls with five fours and a six, Stevens cut at Kirby and was sensationally caught at backward point by Gary Fellows who jumped high in the air and flung up his right hand for the ball to stick.

Iain Sutcliffe and Vince Wells took up the attack with a vengeance and Tim Bresnan had to be withdrawn from the firing line after Wells had belted him for two sixes and two fours in an over which cost 21.

Further severe punishment was dished out on Vic Craven and Dawson as the third-wicket pair racked up 88 in nine overs and the carnage only ended when Wells heaved across the line at Craven and was bowled for 48 from 33 balls with eight fours and two sixes.

Darren Maddy miscued Dawson to Matthew Wood running in from cover point and there was just time for Sutcliffe to complete his half-century off 44 deliveries with five fours and a six before he thumped the winning boundary.