DURHAM were sunk by Yorkshire's H-bombs yesterday as they were badly holed by Matthew Hoggard then shipped more water at the ends of Ian Harvey.

While Yorkshire's three-wicket win in the totesport League clash at Scarborough would have pleased their fans, as a contest it was an anti-climax following its billing as a potential promotion decider.

This was a shame for the 5,500 fans, who generated record gate receipts for the ground of over £25,000. They had every right to expect 500 runs as they basked in the glorious sunshine, but had to settle for 359 with not a six in sight.

The ideal scenario had been obliterated within six overs as Durham, having chosen to bat, slumped to 16 for four.

Looking livelier than in the championship defeat, Hoggard took the first three wickets and the fourth went to Harvey, who took two for 23 in nine overs then hammered a rapid 27.

Yorkshire eased past Durham's 178 for nine with 3.2 overs to spare to move into third place and must now wait to see if Nottinghamshire can overtake them by winning at Taunton on Wednesday.

Defeat dumped Durham into sixth place and means they will have to play in the second round of next season's C and G Trophy at home to Derbyshire.

Australia were keen for Harvey to get in some match practice before the ICC Champions Trophy and he looked like blasting Yorkshire to a much quicker win as he took three fours off Neil Killeen's second over.

He hit two more boundaries before pulling a Graham Onions long hop so fiercely that the ball travelled like a heat-seeking missile straight to Nicky Peng, who clung on to the catch just in front of square leg.

This promised to be a pivotal moment as it left Yorkshire on 61 for four in the 12th over after Liam Plunkett had taken the first three wickets.

But skipper Matthew Wood played sensibly to score 46 off 91 balls and take his side within nine runs of victory before falling in the 41st over.

He had put on 66 with Richard Pyrah, who then spoilt an excellent knock of 42 off 44 balls by heaving across the line and being bowled by a quicker ball from Graeme Bridge, leaving Richard Dawson to hit the winning boundary.

Durham were indebted to Gavin Hamilton, who went in at 16 for four in the sixth over and survived to two balls before the close of the innings to make 76 against his former county.

The appalling start owed as much to careless batting as to Hoggard's accurate bowling. His first ball of the match was a no-ball and off the free-hit Peng made room to crack a glorious shot to the cover boundary. Two balls later he pushed forward and was lbw.

In Hoggard's second over Marcus North tried to whip a straight ball through mid-wicket and was bowled.

Two overs later it was starting to look calamitous for Durham as Jon Lewis dabbled with little foot movement and got an inside edge to wicketkeeper Ismail Dawood. Hoggard had taken three for four in 14 balls.

In the next over Gary Pratt pushed forward and nicked a ball from Harvey which was slanted across him, the catch carrying comfortably to slip

. Gareth Breese again looked at home with the sun on his back on a firm pitch and he timed the ball better than Hamilton as they began the repair job with a stand of 63 in 17 overs.

But Breese was starved of the strike and had faced only 11 balls in the last ten overs when he went down the pitch to off spinner Andy Gray and was stumped for 25.

At 96 for five after 27 overs there seemed little need for Yorkshire to turn to the gentle medium pace of Pyrah, especially when his first ball was driven wide of mid-on for four by Andrew Pratt.

But other than that he conceded only two singles in his first two overs before Pratt tried to hit him for six and was caught at deep mid-wicket for 19.

In Pyrah's next over he almost had Bridge very smartly stumped off a leg-side wide by Dawood, who held an easy catch off the next ball.

Plunkett contributed a well-struck 21 to a stand of 37 before going for a big hit on Harvey's return and skying a catch to deep mid-on.

Hamilton worked the ball around well in reaching his highest score for Durham, hitting only five fours in his 121-ball innings before he also skied a catch off Tim Bresnan.

Yorkshire had 24 on the board before Plunkett struck twice in two balls in the fifth over. Joe Sayers top-edged a hook to Bridge at long leg then an excellent ball nipped in to have left-hander Phil Jaques lbw.

Killeen was alternating tight overs with expensive ones as Michael Lumb emulated Harvey by taking three fours off an over. But after out-scoring Harvey in a stand of 35, Lumb got carried away and was aiming over mid-wicket to a full-length ball from Plunkett which took out his off stump.

When Harvey perished in the next over, the game was in the balance. But Yorkshire were so far ahead of the clock that Wood could afford to take no risks in guiding them towards an easy target.

The same should have applied to Dawood, but after contributing 20 to a fifth wicket stand of 42 he tried to reverse sweep Bridge and the ball lobbed up for Andrew Pratt to move smartly to his left and take the catch.

Although Breese bowled a tight nine-over spell, the writing was on the wall when Pyrah hit three successive balls from Bridge for four. Two were swept and the third driven just over Gary Pratt at extra cover.

After Bridge bowled five overs for 33 Pyrah continued to profit when Hamilton came on, twice driving him through extra cover for four as 16 came off his two overs.

Plunkett was recalled for his final two overs and finished with three for 35, but Durham then had to revert to Bridge and Graham Onions and the Yorkshire pair comfortably picked off the runs until Wood got a leading edge.

The job was as good as done by then, but the overall impression was that Yorkshire were the better of two sides neither of whom deserve to be promoted.

Read more about Durham CCC here.