Warwickshire v Yorkshire: Jeetan Patel's 6-50 in vain as Tykes beat relegated Bears

Yorkshire's Steve Patterson produced season's bests with both bat and ball in this match

Yorkshire gave a massive boost to their hopes of staying in Division One of the County Championship by hanging on to beat already relegated Warwickshire by two wickets at Headingley.

Steve Patterson's unbeaten 44 was the key as the Tykes picked up 21 points from their fourth win of the season.

Yorkshire, 56-3 overnight, looked in danger of defeat when Jeetan Patel took three wickets as they slumped to 96-7.

But a 78-run stand between Patterson and Matt Fisher lifted them to 178-8.

Fisher went for 15 with the scores tied, becoming another victim for New Zealand international spinner Patel, who finished with a season's best 6-50.

But Patterson then hit the winning runs to the boundary off Chris Wright, hitting his best score of the season, the day after also claiming 4-46 with the ball - his best bowling figures of 2017.

In a game which should have been injured Yorkshire and England legend Ryan Sidebottom's final appearance at Headingley, his namesake at least had an impact for Warwickshire, taking the other two wickets to fall.

Defeat was rough luck on Patel, who followed his first-innings 100 with his first haul of five wickets or more in over a year.

Bears spinner Jeetan Patel had never previously taken a five-wicket haul at Headingley

But, although Warwickshire will take great heart from their ninth and tightest defeat in 13 Championship matches this summer, they will start this season's final home game against Somerset at Edgbaston on Monday at least 49 points adrift at the bottom.

Yorkshire's win, which elevated them up to fourth place in the table puts them two points clear of Middlesex, five in front of Hampshire - and 18 ahead of eighth-placed Somerset, following their defeat by Surrey at The Oval.

The Tykes still need seven points to be sure of survival when they visit new champions Essex at Chelmsford next week in the final round of games, while Somerset host Middlesex at Taunton.

Yorkshire coach Andrew Gale:

"It felt like Middlesex at Lord's all over again last year. The heart was racing, but luckily we were on the right side of the result. We're not home and dry yet but it still gives us a chance to stay in this division.

"We just have to go down to Chelmsford and continue some of the good work. I feel like we have played some really good cricket over the last three weeks. Had we played like that for the majority of the year, we wouldn't be where we are.

"Fish has had a great game. He's had to wait a long time for his chance. He's been chomping at the bit, reminding me that's he fit and ready to go. We just felt over the last few weeks he's hit his straps in the second team, and it was the right time for him to play. We knew he had the batting ability. But to do it in a pressurised situation like that is outstanding.

"Patto has always showed a lot of guts. He's been there throughout the last five or six years whenever we've needed him. He stood up and performed again, and I'm really pleased for him."

Warwickshire captain Jonathan Trott told BBC WM:

"It's hard to exactly pinpoint what we could have done differently or where we lost it. It was a good partnership between Fisher and Patterson, so credit to them.

"We were good enough to get ourselves into the game, we just weren't good enough to get across the line.

"Losing is a bit of a habit, just like winning is. We are just finding a bit of a habit of getting ourselves in positions where we are behind the game and can't wrestle the momentum away.

"If you look at the four days back, there were always ebbs and flows in the game. After the start (49-6), it was good to get to where we got to, but we should have done better."