Batsmen put Yorkshire in command

Yorkshire 415 and 152 for 1 lead Hampshire 351 for 9 dec. by 216 runs
Scorecard

Yorkshire moved into a commanding position thanks to a surprisingly attacking declaration from Hampshire captain Nic Pothas at the Rose Bowl. Resuming on 162 for 3, Hampshire progressed serenely to 200 during an overcast morning session, with Neil McKenzie going past 50 and youngster James Vince also looking in decent touch.

A comical mix-up ended Vince's innings and the pair's 57-run partnership, when both batsmen ended up at the same end after Vince called for a third run but McKenzie - the senior partner in the middle - turned the offer down. Hampshire's middle and lower order all chipped in with useful contributions but no batsman could go on to contribute the big score Hampshire needed to get close to Yorkshire's first innings total of 415.

For Yorkshire, Adil Rashid was the pick of the bowlers, taking 4 for 62 from just under 19 overs of attacking, controlled legspin bowling. Sean Ervine (20), Pothas (23), Dominic Cork (26) and David Balcombe (30) all squandered good starts in the face of some disciplined Yorkshire bowling as Hampshire limped towards 350 and an extra batting point.

As soon as that target was reached - and with his side still 64 runs behind - Pothas declared the innings closed, in a bid to force the positive result Hampshire so desperately need to climb off the bottom of the County Championship Division One table.

Adam Lyth and Joe Sayers, so impressive in forging a big opening partnership on the first day, began Yorkshire's second innings in a similarly assured vein, accumulating a partnership of 36 before Balcombe had Sayers caught at point by Michael Carberry.

Yorkshire's batting line-up twice suffered collapses during their stop-start first innings, but any hope Hampshire had of a similar flurry of quick wickets was extinguished by some dogged batting from Lyth and partner Anthony McGrath.

Lyth added a half-century to his ton in the first innings, moving past 800 Championship runs for the season in the process, while McGrath showed the sort of form which saw him gain England honours in 2003 to smash a 66-ball 50.

The pair survived unscathed until the close, guiding Yorkshire to 152 for 1 and a commanding lead of 216 runs, leaving Yorkshire in a prime position from which to attack the Hampshire bowling and try to force an unlikely win.