Live: Rothesay County Championship – Yorkshire Men vs Hampshire Day 2

Yorkshire have reached the halfway stage of this fixture with significant work to do, despite periods of positivity with ball and then bat today.

George Hill and Jack White finished with three wickets in bowling Hampshire out for 249 this morning, limiting their lead to 128.

Jonny Bairstow and unbeaten Adam Lyth posted half-centuries and shared a 105-stand to take Yorkshire into the lead with seven wickets in hand. But Hampshire struck three times late on to re-affirm their position of strength.

Lyth will begin tomorrow on 57 and Cliff on 1.

Will Luxton has been caught behind down leg-side off Brad Wheal, 6.

Hampshire’s quick Wheal has four-for. Ben Cliff has come in as nightwatchman ahead of Dom Bess with four overs remaining in the day.

Adam Lyth has 56.

Adam Lyth reaches his fifty off 176 balls, including five fours.

He is clearly key to Yorkshire’s hopes of victory in this fixture. The visitors are 179-5 in the 57th over, a lead of 51. We have a little more than eight overs to bowl this evening. Will Luxton has 5.

George Hill has been bowled by Sonny Baker, 4.

Baker – a real X-Factor quick – has taken two in the over to change the complexion of things. Yorkshire’s lead is 34.

Will Luxton in now alongside Adam Lyth, 46.

Jonny Bairstow b Sonny Baker, 56.

Bairstow has his middle stump rocked back by Hampshire’s fast bowler.

George Hill joins Adam Lyth at the crease, with the latter on 46. Yorkshire lead by 30, with 12.3 overs remaining in the day.

Jonny Bairstow has reached his fifty off 92 balls with five fours and a six. Excellent.

Yorkshire are 142-3, leading by 14 runs. Adam Lyth will hopefully follow shortly. He has 37.

Yorkshire have wiped off the 128 deficit and lead by four, at 131-3 with a little under 22 overs remaining in the day.

Jonny Bairstow has 48 and Adam Lyth 29.

From being bowled out for 121 just after lunch on day one, Yorkshire have played some excellent cricket.

Picture by John Heald. Adam Lyth defends this afternoon.

Jonny Bairstow and Adam Lyth have taken Yorkshire to 104-3 in the 36th over, a deficit of 24.

It has been free-flowing, it has come with a slice or two of fortune, but the most important thing is that they’re still unbeaten. Bairstow has 33 and Lyth 17.

The players are on their way back out after tea.

Yorkshire’s deficit is 36 with 32 overs remaining in the day.

Jonny Bairstow has 25 and Adam Lyth 13. They have shared 39 for the fourth wicket following success for Brad Wheal with all three wickets for the hosts.

Yorkshire are 91-3 in the 31st over, trailing by 37.

Bairstow has 25 and Lyth 12.

Lyth has reached 12 off 96 balls and has had to be very determined against a testing attack.

We have just under three overs until tea.

Jonny Bairstow has been dropped on 6 and 13.

The first was a return catch offered to Liam Dawson and, just now, he has pulled Sonny Baker out to deep backward square-leg on 19, where the chance has burst through the hands of Nick Gubbins and it has hit him in the head, seemingly.

Very next ball, he has pulled Baker out to a similar position and it has landed short of Joe Weatherley.

Yorkshire 82-3 now, trailing by 46.

Jonny Bairstow has been on all fours for the last minute or two having inside-edged Brad Wheal into the unmentionables.

He’s up now and ready to continue. Bairstow has 1 out of 59-3, with Adam Lyth on 7.

Dawid Malan caught behind by Ben Brown off Brad Wheal for 37.

Just as in the first innings, Malan looked in excellent order but couldn’t go on. Wheal picks up a third wicket, and Yorkshire are three down and still 75 runs in arrears.

Jonny Bairstow has arrived at the crease, with Adam Lyth on 6.

Dawid Malan 33 and Adam Lyth 6 have taken the sting out of the situation by sharing an unbroken 45 following the early loss of Fin Bean and James Wharton.

Yorkshire, at 49-2, trail by 79.

Brad Wheal and Brett Hampton are in operation for Hampshire.

We’re into the 12th over of Yorkshire’s second innings, with Dawid Malan 14 and Adam Lyth 4.

Dawid Malan has a couple of boundaries in 11 and looks in good order. He has helped take the score to 17-2, a deficit of 111. Adam Lyth is with him, on 2.

Oh no, nightmare start to the second innings for Yorkshire.

James Wharton has been trapped lbw by Brad Wheal for a golden duck.

Wheal on a hat-trick, which Dawid Malan will face. Yorkshire are 124 runs behind.

Fin Bean has been caught by Kyle Abbott at mid-on off Brad Wheal, 0.

Bean pushed at the Scotland seamer and chipped the simplest of catches to Hampshire’s other new ball bowler. James Wharton in now alongside Adam Lyth, who is yet to get off the mark.

It’s obviously Grand National Day up at Aintree.

Looking through the runners and riders, if there was ever a horse to put 50p on for a cricket fan it would be Stumptown. Surely, that’s written in the stars?!

George Hill has trapped Sonny Baker lbw, 0. Hill finishes with an excellent 3-36 from 18.2 overs.

Ben Brown is stranded on 49 not out, and Hampshire’s lead stands at 128.

And that is lunch.

With Hampshire nine wickets down, we will continue for a maximum of 30 minutes to try and wrap up this innings. Hampshire are 237-9, leading by 116.

Ben Brown has 37 and is trying to take as much of the strike from last-man Sonny Baker. When he is on strike, the Hampshire skipper is playing his shots in search for quick runs.

Kyle Abbott lbw Ben Coad, 0.

Coad claims his first wicket of 2025, and last man Sonny Baker is in.

Brett Hampton has been trapped lbw by Jack White, 14.

Hampshire’s lead is 106. White now has a third wicket, and Kyle Abbott is on his way to the crease to join Ben Brown, who has 27.

Yorkshire have taken the new ball, with Hampshire 215-7, leading by 92.

Ben Brown has 21 and Brett Hampton 8.

Adam Lyth bowled just the one over – the 79th – but Ben Coad has returned from the Hotel End.

Liam Dawson has been trapped lbw by Dom Bess for 20. Bess has a second wicket.

New Zealander Brett Hampton has come to the crease to join Ben Brown, who has 17.

Hampshire’s lead is 82.

Hampshire have moved to 198-6 after 75 overs, leading by 77.

The new ball is going to be a key moment for Yorkshire. It really needs to work for them.

Liam Dawson pushes Dom Bess into the mid-wicket region, Will Luxton picks up and throws to Jonny Bairstow, who does the rest and leaves Toby Albert short of his ground.

Albert goes for 19. Hampshire lead by 55. Ben Brown in now to join Dawson on 10.

Jack White and Ben Coad have been tasked with the early morning bowling duties. Hampshire are 169-5 in the 62nd over, leading by 48.

Toby Albert has 16 and Liam Dawson 6.

Ben Cliff has not taken the field this morning, with Jordan Thompson on as substitute.

One man who Yorkshire will want to get rid of quickly today is Hampshire captain Ben Brown, who has a superb record against them in Championship cricket, mostly for his former county Sussex.

In 12 matches against Yorkshire, dating back to 2011, he has scored 870 runs with three centuries at an average of 62.14.

Brown will come in at the fall of the next wicket.

Division One 

Essex 356-4 v Surrey, Ambassador Cruise Line Ground, Chelmsford

Nottinghamshire v Durham 370-9, Trent Bridge

Somerset 187-4 v Worcestershire 154, Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton

Warwickshire bv Sussex 386-5, Edgbaston

Division Two 

Derbyshire 127-2 v Gloucestershire 222, The County Ground, Derby

Glamorgan 229 v Leicestershire 65-1, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

Kent 231 v Northamptonshire 118-7, County Ground, Northampton

Middlesex 260 v Lancashire 68-0, Lord’s

Good morning from the Utilita Bowl, Southampton, where it’s another glorious morning.

Day Two will begin at 11am with Yorkshire on the hunt for wickets. Hampshire, replying to our first-innings 121, are 164-5.

Yes, Yorkshire were mightily disappointed with their batting efforts yesterday having won the toss, but they were very happy to have bounced back so well with the ball after the hosts put on 70 for the first wicket.

George Hill and Jack White struck twice apiece and Dom Bess once.

Fingers crossed, Ben Cliff will be fit to bowl today having only bowled four overs yesterday before leaving the field with a back/side issue.