FROM the ridiculous to the sublime. Out of the murky gloom of the Riverside, Derbyshire lit up Headingley yesterday to get their Twenty20 Cup campaign up and running.

Greg Smith's magnificent 100 not out, the first century by a Derbyshire player in this competition, set the Phantoms on their way to a 47-run defeat of Yorkshire.

It was a wonderful knock – even more so as it came from a man who has played hardly any cricket this season – as he reached three figures off the penultimate ball of the innings, having faced 62 balls and hit 12 fours and two sixes.

There was a fine 61, too, for Wavell Hinds, made off 43 balls with three fours and four sixes, with he and Smith sharing a second-wicket stand of 149, a Derbyshire record for any wicket in this competition.

Hinds gave up his wicket in the final over, run out coming back for a second to keep Smith on strike, but his side were on their way to a total of 181-2 – the second-highest score by the county in Twenty20 cricket.

Their highest is 195-8, also on this ground, and Derbyshire lost that game but there was little danger of a repeat this time.

Charl Langeveldt made sure Yorkshire struggled to keep up with the required rate from the start on his way to figures of 4-9 in his four overs and the home side could manage only 134-9 in reply.

Smith set the Phantoms off on the right foot against Durham the previous night with 47 and he stayed around to make sure his team finished the job this time.

Dan Birch skied a pull and was caught and bowled for 12 at 29-1 in the fourth over but Smith and Hinds soon moved the score along rapidly.

They had their moments of fortune, as every batsman needs in this form of the game more than any other.

Hinds was dropped by Adil Rashid at deep midwicket on three and caught off an above waist-high no ball on 31, while Smith was dropped by Andrew Gale at long off on 66 and survived a missed stumping on 90.

The feeling that this might be Derbyshire's night was compounded when both Smith and Hinds hit the next balls after they were dropped for sixes.

The task was stiff for Yorkshire, though they were able to add England captain Michael Vaughan to a strong line-up.

But Vaughan, making his debut for his county in Twenty20, was caught at point by Smith for a second-ball duck to make the score 6-2.

By the end of the fifth, Jacques Rudolph had skied a catch to short extra cover and Yorkshire were 30-3.

Anthony McGrath (55) and Ged Brophy (25) put on 69 for the fourth wicket but the home side fell into rapid decline after that.

Nayan Doshi put the slow strangle on the middle of the innings to take 1-24 in his four overs. Jake Needham and Graham Wagg were also efficient and Rikki Clarke, who managed his bowlers well, also put in a useful stint of 1-22 in four overs in the second half of the innings.

The Derbyshire fielding was also up to the task – unlike the home side's, it has to be said – and the overall effect was a standard of performance that, if only they can repeat it regularly, could take them far in the competition.

What a transformation!