6.08pm – Close. Excellent start for Yorkshire, who close on 372-5 from 96 overs, with Bairstow 107 not out and Hill unbeaten 58. Lyth also added 61 to set the tone. Hollman impressive for three wickets for Middlesex.
5.54pm – HUNDRED!!!! Bairstow reaches a superb ton, off 122 balls with nine fours and two sixes. That’s his first in first-class cricket for Yorkshire since 2016. He’s helped us to 365-5 in the 93rd over. Fabulous.
5.32pm – Hill gets to 50 off 77 balls with 6x4s and 1x6s. Superb. He’s helped us to 332-5 in the 87th over.
5.11pm – Middlesex have taken the new ball at 308-5 after 82. Bairstow 73, Hill 32.
5.04pm – Yorkshire 303-5 after 80 overs. Bairstow 71, Hill 29. Middlesex haven’t taken the new ball.
4.45pm – SIX! Hill hoists du Plooy down the ground to move to 22 out of 290-5 in the 75th over. Bairstow 65.
4.31pm – 50 for Bairstow, off 63 balls with 4x4s and 1x6s. Excellent. We’re 261-5 in the 71st over. Hill has 7.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Yorkshire’s Jonny Bairstow celebrates his half-century today.
4.15pm – WICKET! Tattersall caught at slip off du Plooy’s left-arm spin for 26. 242-5 after 65, the first of the evening. Hill in now alongside Bairstow, who has 39. Tattersall swept, got a top edge and Higgins has run around from slip behind the keeper to take catch.
Yorkshire have to be careful here. Lots of starts, but no one’s gone on.
3.49pn – Tea. Yorkshire reach 240-4 from 64 overs, with Bairstow 38 and Tattersall 25. They have just brought up their half-century stand. Excellent. Two wickets in the session, Wharton for 40 and Luxton 31.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Will Luxton hits out against Middlesex.
3.38pm – SIX! Bairstow has just pulled Brookes over towards the Western Terrace, moving 30. 227-4 in the 61st over. Dismissive.
3.36pm – We’re in the closing stages of the afternoon and have moved to 221-4 from 60 overs. Two wickets in each session so far. Bairstow 24, Tattersall 20.
3.19pm – Yorkshire 202-4 after 56 overs. Bairstow 23, Tattersall 6.
3pm – WICKET! Luxton has pulled Hollman to short mid-wicket, falling for 31. We’ve fallen to 185-4 in the 52nd over. Hollman claims a third wicket. Tattersall in alongside Bairstow, who has 12.
2.38pm – WICKET! Wharton caught at slip off Hollman, 40. We’re 172-3 after 46 overs. Bairstow in now alongside Luxton, who has 30. Wharton tried to cut a ball which was too close to him.
2.16pm – SIX! Wharton pulls Hollman over mid-wicket, moving to 38 out of 162-2 after 40 overs.
2.14pm – Yorkshire 150-2 in the 40th over. Luxton 31, Luxton 17.
2.08pm – SIX! Luxton hammers a sweep at Hollman over mid-wicket, moving to 14 out of 147-2 in the 38th over.
1.59pm – We’ve moved to 132-2 after 35 overs. Wharton 28, Luxton 8.
1.41pm – We’re all set for the resumption. Wharton 21 and Luxton 8 are at the crease, with Yorkshire 121-2 from 30 overs.
1pm – Lunch. Encouraging start for Yorkshire, who have gone in at 121-2 from 30 overs. Wharton 21, Luxton 8. Lyth 61 and Bean 27 the wickets to fall this morning.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Adam Lyth celebrates his half-century against Middlesex at Headingley this morning.
12.56pm – Root and Brook in at the Test. England 95-3 on the opening morning against Sri Lanka at Lord’s. Root has 29.
12.48pm – WICKET! Lyth trapped lbw by Hollman, 61. We’re 105-2 after 26 overs. Luxton in now alongside Wharton, who has 15.
12.25pm – Lyth reaches his fifty off 56 balls with 11x4s, the latest handsomely driven through the covers off Brookes. We’re 90-1 in the 21st over. Excellent.
12.06pm – Yorkshire seconds are playing Surrey at York, and it’s the final day of three in the Championship clash. Will Fraine, who plays for York now, has been drafted into Surrey’s team as an injury replacement for Ben Geddes. Surrey are 60-1 in the second innings, trailing by 36. Fraine is 23 not out.
12.02pm – WICKET! Bean plays on to Brookes attempting to pull, 27. We’re 68-1 in the 16th over. Wharton in now alongside Lyth, who has 39.
11.59am – Three boundaries in the ongoing 15th over for Lyth against Helm, and he has 39 out of 68-0. Ideal opening hour for Yorkshire.
11.43am – Yorkshire 50-0 in the 11th over. Lyth 26, Bean 22. Super start this. Middlesex have already been forced into a couple of bowling changes.
11.29am – That’s glorious from Bean, who nails a straight drive down the ground off left-arm seamer Cornwell, moving to 14 out of 38-0 in the eighth over. Shot of the morning so far.
11.23am – We’ve moved to 32-0 in the seventh over. Lyth has hit five fours in 22 so far. Hybrid pitch, and it’s playing nicely so far.
11.04am – Handy start for Yorkshire at 13-0 after seven balls. Bean has hit two boundaries and Lyth one.
10.58am – We’re all set for the start of play. Roland-Jones to Lyth to begin with.
10.32am – Yorkshire have won the toss and will bat first.
Yorkshire’s team: Lyth, Bean, Wharton, Luxton, Bairstow w, Tattersall c, Hill, Thompson, Bess, Coad, Moriarty.
10.10am – The Northern Diamonds have just announced that Australian all-rounder Erin Burns will be returning to the region for the remainder of this summer’s Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.
9.17am – Matt Milnes is on the outfield bowling to Kabir Ali, who has the baseball mitt on. Physio Harry Booker is also there on a watching brief. Encouraging signs.
8.30am – Good morning from Headingley, where it’s a dry and bright start to the day.
Yorkshire face Middlesex in the 11th of 14 Championship matches, this a battle of third versus second in Division Two. The gap is only three points.
Both teams come into this fixture on the back of home wins; Yorkshire over leaders Sussex and Middlesex against bottom side Northamptonshire. They are nine and six points behind leaders Sussex respectively. They host Derbyshire at Hove across the next four days.
This is the first of two Kookaburra ball rounds in the Championship having had two at the start of the season as well.
This will be Yorkshire’s first day of cricket in all competitions at Headingley since July 19, when they were beaten by Nottinghamshire in a Vitality Blast match. They have not played a Championship match here since June 23-26, when Gloucestershire visited for a draw.
At the start of May, Yorkshire drew with Glamorgan here in a game when two frontline spinners played in Dom Bess and Dan Moriarty. Both are in the squad again, and it would be no surprise to see them play.
Yorkshire are bidding to avenge an early-season defeat against Middlesex at Lord’s. All told, that was probably the county’s worst performance of the season. They just weren’t at the races that week.
We spoke to Ben Coad in preview to this week’s fixture. You can read his thoughts via the link below.
As ever, there will be a live stream available via the Match Centre tab at the top of the page. Enjoy the day.
