YORKSHIRE exiles Richard Illingworth and David Leatherdale each captured three wickets against their native county at Headingley yesterday as Worcestershire Royals beat Yorkshire Phoenix by nine runs.

The contest was not quite as close as the final score suggest because Worcestershire never allowed Yorkshire to feel that a 174 target was going to be within their reach.

Although Illingworth turned the game by dismissing danger men Richard Blakey and Aussie Darren Lehmann with consecutive balls, Leatherdale's contribution was just as important because he snuffed out the middle order.

But it was the presence of fast bowler Glenn McGrath continually breathing down their necks, which worried Yorkshire most.

The Australian had marked his debut for Royals by recording the remarkable figures of 9-6-9-4 in the first encounter between the sides at New Road last week and he was just as big a thorn this time, taking 2-22.

Boundary

In his initial burst with the new ball he sent down five overs for eight runs and four of those came from a mid-wicket boundary by skipper David Byas who edged the next ball, which moved in on him, to Steve Rhodes.

McGrath was later recalled for a two-over spell which yielded just one run and applied the break exactly at the right time and when he returned for his final two overs he had Gavin Hamilton slicing a catch to third man.

With both Yorkshire openers gone for 27, Blakey and Lehmann set about repairing the damage but Lehmann was not at his best and Illingworth was unfortunate on a couple of occasions to see shots fall just short of fielders.

He was amply compensated with the total on 90 for two when he had Blakey caught on the mid- wicket boundary by Reuben Spiring and his next ball found the under edge of Lehmann's bat as he attempted to cut.

Yorkshire debutant Victor Craven knocked up a spirited 28 off 33 balls but tight bowling kept Phoenix under the cosh.

Batting first on winning the toss, Royals lost Vikram Solanki to the hostile Matthew Hoggard in the eighth over, but Paul Pollard and Graeme Hick then sent the run rate soaring by capitalising on two shoddy overs from left-armer Ryan Sidebottom which cost 29 runs before he was hastily withdrawn.

Hick was pinned lbw by Gavin Hamilton to make it 73-2 in the 15th over and progress slowed down as Hoggard and Craig White gave little away.

Pollard played the anchor role, with 55 from 110 deliveries.