Yorkshire suffered their fourth defeat in six Friends Provident Twenty20 group games as they were comprehensively beaten by Durham in the north east.

It means their chances of reaching the quarter-finals look remote, a poor batting display letting them down as they were beaten by six wickets.

Despite reaching 40 without loss in the fifth over, a frustrating batting collapse saw them close on 131 for eight and that was never going to be enough against a talented Durham line-up.

After the excellent beginning it was captain Andrew Gale who was first to go, finding Dale Benkenstein at backward point off Albie Morkel for 28.

His dismissal was then followed by three more wickets in the next three overs, with Herschelle Gibbs (10), Jacques Rudolph (15) and Gerard Brophy (2) ousted to see Yorkshire slump to 67 for four after ten.

By this stage the Tykes were struggling to score, with only 13 runs being added in six overs, and when Jonathan Bairstow was superbly caught and bowled by Ian Blackwell for ten, the advantage was definitely Durham’s.

This wicket meant Yorkshire were 81 for five and only a spirited partnership between Bradfordians Anthony McGrath and Adil Rashid allowed them to post anything half-decent.

Between them they added 41 runs from 34 balls but when Rashid went for 21 in the 18th over, the Tykes added only 11 runs in the final two overs as McGrath finished unbeaten on 34.

Then Dale Benkenstein and Ross Taylor, after Tino Best had removed Phil Mustard and Blackwell cheaply to give Yorkshire hope, plundered a century partnership to all but win the game.

By the time Taylor went for 49 to Rashid, the score had moved to 103 for two and it left Benkenstein the honour of leading his team home with a career-best 57 not out.

Next up for Yorkshire is a trip to face Matthew Hoggard’s Leicestershire on Sunday.