YORKSHIRE took a big stride towards the Royal London Cup quarter-finals when they inflicted a second successive home defeat on holders Durham yesterday.

The Tykes eased home by 32 runs under the Duckworth / Lewis method to consolidate their top two place in the group, leaving Durham to repeat last season's late surge.

Glenn Maxwell followed his 111 in the previous match at Worcester by making 65 not out as Yorkshire reached 130 for two in 24.3 overs in reply to Durham's 43-over score of 224 for seven.

Durham can still qualify as their remaining three games are against division two sides, starting with tomorrow's trip to Bristol.

But prospects of a home tie in the last eight now look slim as leaders Surrey march on and Yorkshire should beat Leicestershire at Headingley today and Somerset at Scarborough on Wednesday.

Liam Plunkett returned to haunt Durham, taking three for 40 in a match initially shortened by a 75-minute rain delay.

After being put in Durham lacked a major contribution, as in the defeat by Surrey.

Graham Clark, with 13 runs in three previous 50-over innings, batted impressively for 42 at a run-a-ball. Durham needed him to cash in on his apparent liking for the Yorkshire attack by getting close to the 91 he scored in the Twenty20 clash at Headingley.

But he spoilt his effort by resorting to slogging with ten overs left, skying a catch to point to give Plunkett his third wicket.

In fact, all the top five were culpable to varying degrees in trying too hard to accelerate when the most fluent innings was played by Gordon Muchall through good, orthodox strokes. His unbeaten 35 off 26 balls was the second highest score.

The first to go was Mark Stoneman, who scored a match-winning century in last year's quarter-final at Headingley. With only 13 on the board after five overs, he picked up successive balls from Tim Bresnan over the leg side for six and four.

The next ball was a slower one outside off stump and Stoneman steered a low catch to Glenn Maxwell at backward point.

Steve Patterson, accurate as ever, conceded only ten in his opening five-over spell before making way for Matthew Fisher, whose first two overs were equally frugal as Phil Mustard and Scott Borthwick tried to build a partnership.

Fisher then began to leak runs, while Plunkett's back-of-a-length bowling round the wicket to the left-handers proved very effective. He conceded only six runs in his first three overs then removed both.

Mustard was caught behind when trying to steer to third man and Borthwick, also on 32, attempted an ambitious whip from off stump, only to sky it straight to deep mid-wicket.

Paul Collingwood was anxious to get after Adil Rashid. His first foray down the pitch resulted in Fisher dropping a sitter at mid-off, his second produced a six and his third an easy stumping for Andrew Hodd.

Clark saw off Plunkett with a well-timed drive wide of mid-on followed by a leg glance for another four. After expanding his repertoire by paddling Patterson from outside off stump to long leg for four he began to press too hard and his exit ended the useful stand he was building with Ryan Pringle.

It wasn't until Pringle also skied a catch after making 30 that Durham sent in John Hastings with 4.3 overs left.

Patterson, bowling as wide of off stump as he dared, conceded one wide before having Hastings caught behind, leaving Keaton Jennings to add 26 with Muchall.

With Andrew Gale resting a wrist injury, Yorkshire's acting captain Alex Lees did his team no favours by risking a single to mid-off and failing to beat Pringle's direct hit.

Maxwell was on four when he edged Victoria team-mate Hastings through the vacant second slip area and when Stoneman gambled by bringing on Borthwick for the 14th over the Australian's eyes lit up.

He scored most of the 36 the leg-spinner conceded in three overs, driving a six over long-on and pulling anything remotely short in reaching 50 off 36 balls.

Hodd edged an attempted cut off Borthwick to depart for 20, but as light drizzle started to fall Yorkshire could see they were well ahead of the D/L target and had no need to hurry.

Having batted in the worst of the conditions, Durham now had to try to keep the ball dry and they had to use up Hastings' allocation in mid-innings in search of a breakthrough.

He bent his back and troubled Gary Ballance, while finding Maxwell's edge on 61, only for Mustard to fail to cling on, diving to his right. Not that it made any difference as the end was nigh.