Craig Spearman blasted an 84-ball hundred to overpower Yorkshire in the C&G Trophy semi-final to book a seventh Lord's final appearance in six years for one-day specialists Gloucestershire.

The C&G Trophy holders will defend their title at HQ - against last summer's victims Worcestershire - thanks to a five-wicket win with almost four overs to spare on their home patch in today's semi-final at Bristol.
Craig Spearman pulls to the boundary Spearman (143no) hit 10 fours and three sixes on his way to three figures in a chanceless innings which made a nonsense of what had appeared a worthy Yorkshire total on a true, easy-paced pitch.

The New Zealand-born opener launched some punishing strokeplay against the new ball, hitting youngster Tim Bresnan out of the attack after just two overs and also taking notable toll of his former Gloucestershire team-mate Ian Harvey.

Spearman picked up Bresnan for successive sixes over midwicket and square leg and then clipped England pace bowler Matthew Hoggard in the same direction for another maximum over a longer square boundary.

He twice dispatched Bresnan's replacement Harvey past cover on his way to a 30-ball half-century, as Yorkshire's hard-working 243 for six was increasingly proven inadequate.

The visitors had been indebted to a canny, unbeaten 80 from Darren Lehmann after three top-order batsman got set but then donated their wickets in the 30s.

They also had to contend with a 45-minute mid-innings rain break and mostly cloudy conditions after choosing to bat first under initially bright skies - while Gloucestershire's reply was undertaken and completed in bright sunshine.

Despite the mitigation, though, Yorkshire could count themselves not so much unlucky as outplayed - mainly by Spearman.

Philip Weston was the match-winner's near silent opening partner as he passed his 50 in only the 11th over, via a rasping square cut off Hoggard.

Yorkshire broke the stand on 73 thanks to strangulation tactics against Weston - picked up low down at short extra-cover by Lehmann off Hoggard - and after a similar alliance Anthony McGrath bowled Mike Hussey as the accomplished Australian sought to angle runs away into the off side.

Three more wickets were eked out by Yorkshire. But as long as Spearman remained - which he duly did - the result was a foregone conclusion.

Darren Lehmann sweeps during his undefeated 80 runs Yorkshire's total owed most to the nous of Lehmann, who was barely 48 hours back from Australia's Test series win against Sri Lanka but showed no ill effects from his globe-trotting.

Matthew Wood came through a mostly unequal battle against Jon Lewis' teasing outswing to get Yorkshire under way with a sudden and unexpected rash of boundaries off the England aspirant.

Gloucestershire's new signing James Franklin had usurped Mike Smith's claim to the new ball but used it moderately in a three-over spell which began with a wide and a no-ball, contained a smattering more of each and cost 25 runs.

Smith was summoned to ensure some early control. But no sooner had the Yorkshire-born left-armer got into his admirable stride than Lewis began to leak runs.

Wood, who had drawn ironic cheers when he made contact with a forward push at Lewis after an embarrassing sequence of plays-and-misses, finally broke out with a pull for four - and for good measure he added three more boundaries in the same bowler's next over.

Lewis soon deservedly got his man, though, when Wood aimed another pull at a ball which was on to him more quickly than he anticipated and resulted in a mistimed steepler safely caught by Martyn Ball at short third man.

Wood's fellow opener Michael Lumb followed in the 20th over, finding only a thin edge behind as he tried to drive a wide ball from home captain Mark Alleyne.

Number three Michael Vaughan was slowly away, particularly against the nagging and miserly Smith - and he allowed Lehmann to play the more attacking role in a third-wicket stand of 63.

It was Lewis who again made the breakthrough, clean-bowling Vaughan whose swish across the line was ill-advised while he and Lehmann were ticking along well.

But the Australian had done his reconnaissance and built up gradually to some big shots, fleetingly in company with his compatriot Harvey.

All improvisation and angles to begin with on his way to a 66-ball half-century which contained just four boundaries, Lehmann lost McGrath to a hoist to long-on off Ball and Harvey to a smash to cover off Franklin.

But he had enough in reserve to aid the addition of 74 runs in the last 10 overs.

Gloucestershire, it seemed, had paid for the lack of a fifth frontline bowler - Alleyne conceding 67 off his full complement and Franklin proving only marginally more economical.

But that was before Spearman put Yorkshire's stuttering struggle into harsh but fair context.