Adil Rashid impresses but Hampshire fight back

Hampshire 162 for 3 v Yorkshire 415
Scorecard

Hampshire bounced back from an indifferent opening day to peg Yorkshire back on day two of the County Championship match at the Rose Bowl. Resuming on 300 for 3, Yorkshire seemed set for a mammoth total on a decent batting track with skipper Andrew Gale and former captain Anthony McGrath at the wicket.

But Hampshire, in contrast to some insipid bowling yesterday, kept things tight from the off and were rewarded in the 10th over of the day when McGrath nicked James Tomlinson through to Nic Pothas behind the stumps for 64. Gale followed quickly after to a rejuvenated Dominic Cork for a well-constructed 56 to leave Yorkshire on 333 for 5, with new batsmen Adil Rashid and Jonathan Bairstow both at the crease on nought.

An excellent morning session looked to be complete for the home side when wicketkeeper Bairstow edged Tomlinson to give Pothas has third victim of the day. But just as the initiative looked to be swinging back Hampshire's way, so some inspired attacking cricket from Rashid restored parity, the talented allrounder racing to 46 not out at lunch.

He and Richard Pyrah moved Yorkshire onto 393 for 6 after lunch, before Pyrah edged David Balcombe to first slip, sparking a mini collapse. First Rashid went for a neat 51, before tailenders Tino Best and Oliver Hannon-Dalby were quickly polished off as Yorkshire's innings - which had earlier promised a score nearer 500 - limped to 415 all out.

Hampshire's reply got off to a solid if unspectacular start, England cap Michael Carberry and opening partner Jimmy Adams prodding and nudging the score to 49 without loss. But just as the pair began to find the boundary, Yorkshire struck twice in quick succession to tilt the initiative back in their favour.

First Carberry went attempting to advance down the track to Rashid, succeeding only in clipping the ball straight back to him where the leg-spinner took a neat return catch. Michael Lumb, restored to Hampshire ranks after a visit to Downing Street with his fellow World Twenty20 colleagues, followed for a duck just moments later when he top-edged a pull off Rashid safely into the hands of first slip Jacques Rudolph.

The wicket brought the experienced and in-form Neil McKenzie to the wicket, who combined with Adams to calmly move Hampshire out of trouble to the relative calm of 143 for 2. However, with the light fading, Adams fell to seamer Hannon-Dalby for 82, leaving England prospect James Vince to see out the remaining overs with McKenzie, and leave the game in the balance at the halfway stage.