Half-centuries from Lauren Winfield-Hill and Sterre Kalis were not enough for Yorkshire Women as Essex Women won a nailbiter in Leeds by just 13 runs.

Earlier Cordelia Griffith (69) had helped the visitors post a competitive 270 for 8 in an innings that included three run outs.

Yorkshire won the toss and elected to bowl and skipper Grace Scrivens and Griffith quickly tucked in, reaching their 50 partnership as early as the eighth over.

The introduction of spin stemmed the flow but it took until the 19th over for the hosts to make the breakthrough when Claudie Cooper enticed Scrivens to hole out to Georgie Boyce at mid on for 36, with the score 96.

At the half-way point, Essex were 125 for 1 and cruising and it took a poor shot from Griffiths to break the partnership hitting Cooper straight to Jessica Woolston at midwicket for 69.

The third-wicket partnership maintained the scoring rate before Ariana Dowse top edged Ines Blackwell to Maddie Ward for a well-made 43 with the score 190 for 3.

With just over 10 overs left, a moment of madness saw Jodie Grewcock run out for 25 going for a daft second before Sophia Smale was dismissed the same way moments later.

A partnership of 40 followed for the sixth wicket until a third consecutive run out accounted for the unlucky Flo Miller, who was backing up when Cooper finger-tipped the ball onto the stumps.

Amara Carr departed quickly for one to give Slater her first wicket before Eva Gray became her second five balls later but some enterprising hitting from Joanne Gardner and Kate Coppack saw Essex close on 270 for 8.

Yorkshire’s reply got off to a confident start with skipper Winfield-Hill leading from the front and looking imperious as she hit Esmae MacGregor for three consecutive boundaries in the unfortunate bowler’s first over after seeing off the openers.

Winfield-Hill’s half-century came up in just the 11th over and featured 11 boundaries but soon after the opening partnership of 75 was broken when Boyce was well caught by Gardner off MacGregor for 17.

But nothing was stopping Winfield-Hill, who hit a huge six off Smale and,. with support from Rebecca Duckworth, took the score to 129 before the latter found Gardner at mid-on off Smale for 21.

A century looked there for the taking and it was a shock when Winfield-Hill mistimed a drive to Scrivens off Gray for a brilliant 88 to leave Yorkshire 142 for 3.

Ami Campbell was quickly bowled by Gray for six and suddenly Yorkshire’s good start was unravelling with 16-year-old Blackwell joining the experienced Kalis at the crease.

It was the Dutch batter’s wicket that felt key and so it proved as the fifth-wicket pair brought up their 50 partnership in the 35th over to drag the home side back into the game.

Blackwell then fell to a leading edge off Gray for 21 but Kalis reached her half-century in the 38th over and looked determined despite a calamitous run out that saw Ward depart for six.

When Beth Langston departed for two, Yorkshire still required 44 runs and when yet another run accounted for Rachel Slater, Essex became favourites, with a stunning catch from Grewcock off Coppack to remove Cooper, leaving the hosts nine down.

Grewcock bowled Woolston for one to seal the match, leaving the valiant Kelis unbeaten on 65.