Elliott and McGrath bring rare smiles to Yorkshire faces

Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy final: Neglected Australian left-hander makes light of target with match-winning century

On a rare day off, the England captain Nasser Hussain chose to visit Lord's on Saturday. The main reason for dropping in, other than to give Channel 4 viewers the benefit of his wisdom, was to check up on the welfare of his side's recently-injured opening batsman Marcus Trescothick.

While Hussain will have been pleased to witness that Trescothick is fit enough to play in Thursday's fourth Test against India, his abiding memory will be of the impact a discarded Australian had on this years Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy final.

This match will be remembered as Matthew Elliott's feats. The third Australian overseas player – after Darren Lehmann and Simon Katich – Yorkshire have employed this summer, the out-of-favour opener may not currently be welcome in the Australian dressing-room, but he can now pick the seat he wants at Headingley following his magnificent match-winning innings of 128 not out. Combining power and touch, he intelligently paced Yorkshire's run-chase to perfection.

Lord's is proving to be a good hunting ground for the Victorian – he scored a century here for Australia in 1997 – and Hussain will have had mixed feelings as he watched the left-hander smash Andrew Caddick all around the ground. On one hand he will be pleased that England are unlikely to play against Elliott during this winter's Ashes series. The disturbing flip-side is that this is because the Australian selectors feel he is not good enough.

"I am fortunate to walk into this final and to play for Yorkshire. Playing for them is a big thing for me. This innings is the best I have ever played in one-day cricket," Elliott said.

Highlighting what strength and depth there is in Australian cricket, he went on to say: "Hopefully these sort of innings and performances like this will put people under pressure and get me back in the Aussie side, but I can't even get in the third team at the moment. I am not in their top 30."

Chasing Somerset's respectable total of 256 in which Matthew Hoggard took 5 for 65, Yorkshire were in trouble at 19 for 2 when Elliott arrived at the crease. Richard Johnson had just flattened Chris Silverwood's off stump and was in the middle of an impressive new-ball spell. Showing initial respect for Johnson and Caddick, the 30-year-old started quietly as he came to terms with the slow, low pitch. While playing himself in, though, Matthew Wood perished to give Johnson figures of 3 for 20 in seven quality overs.

Michael Vaughan now joined him and the game entered its crucial stage. Another wicket and reaching 257 would have been difficult. The partnership was vital and this could be sensed because the white-rose element in a full-house crowd of 30,000 went very quiet.

However, showing the benefit and experience of having played international cricket, these two repaired the early damage and in a partnership of 93 moved Yorkshire into a strong position before Vaughan was adjudged lbw to the persevering Steffan Jones. The fact the ball appeared to be sliding down the leg side did not worry Somerset one jot. With a hundred still required, they were back in the game.

This was when Elliott came into his own. He received great support from Anthony McGrath, who scored 46 not out off only 53 balls, but it was the confident manner in which Elliott never let the run-rate required get above the dangerous level of 6.5 runs per over that impressed. The Somerset captain Jamie Cox tried everything to turn the match back his way. He rotated his bowlers and brought Caddick and Johnson, his two big guns, back early in an attempt to make the breakthrough.

But with Elliott now seeing the ball like a football, all Cox's plans were quashed, as he quickly set about putting the two bowlers in their place. The first ball of each of their spells went crashing to the boundary and Caddick finished a poor day's work looking forlorn and bruised with figures of 9-0-53-0.

With the Yorkshire sections of the crowd now in full voice Elliott passed three figures in 110 balls. Deciding to finish the game in a flurry his last 28 runs came off 15 deliveries and his side cantered home with two overs remaining.

In what has been a bleak season for Yorkshire this victory has at least given them something to smile about. When Elliott clipped the winning runs over square-leg and so hit the last boundary across the current Lord's outfield – which is to be ripped up this week so the MCC can install a new drainage system, the turf will be sold to those who wish to buy a piece – he sealed their first one-day triumph for 15 years.

But with the club's finances in a terrible mess and their side fighting for survival in the First Division of the championship it will not be too long before reality returns.