Yorkshire are closing in on victory in their Roses battle royal at Emerald Headingley as Lancashire pursue a target of 230.
This Specsavers County Championship relegation clash is pretty much a winner takes all affair at the foot of Division One, and Lancashire are on the ropes at 109-7, with Ben Coad finishing with 4-14.
The Red Rose started their penultimate four-day game of 2018 third bottom in the table and one point above Yorkshire, but having played once more than their arch-rivals.
With that in mind, defeat here would be all but curtains for them.
If Yorkshire, who conceded a first-innings lead of 43, lose, their situation wouldn’t be quite as dire. But they would have a mountain to climb ahead of clashes with Hampshire here next week and then away to Worcestershire.
Day three was a hard-fought affair, with both sides struggling to break free of some accurate bowling.
And it only swung Yorkshire’s way in the final hour of play when Lancashire slipped from 66-2 to 95-7, including three late wickets in eight balls for Coad.
Initially, Yorkshire were tied down by the likes of Tom Bailey and South Africa Test spinner Keshav Maharaj in particular.
While batting conditions seem easier than at the start of the game, the pitch has slowed up a touch to tight lines hard to get away.
Lancashire’s new ball seamer Bailey and left-armer Maharaj shared seven wickets, while Graham Onions chipped in with two and Richard Gleeson one as Yorkshire advanced their second innings from 127-3 overnight to 272 all out shortly before tea.
Gary Ballance and Tom Kohler-Cadmore batted for close to an hour at the start of play as they completed a brilliant fourth-wicket stand of 148.
But they were two of the three morning wickets, both trapped lbw by Maharaj – Kohler-Cadmore pushing forwards for 63 and Ballance playing to leg for 85.
When Bailey had Jonny Tattersall caught behind for 22 just before lunch, Yorkshire fell to 214-6 in the 72nd over.
After lunch, Matthew Waite was lbw to Onions before Steve Patterson lost his off-stump to Bailey.
Tim Bresnan then chipped a return catch to Maharaj for 20 as the score fell to 254-9 in the 97th over, a lead of 211.
Coad helped take 12 off one over from Bailey to boost the total late on, sandwiching an aerial cover drive in between two four leg byes.
But Gleeson wrapped up the innings when Jack Brooks edged him to slip, signalling an early tea.
Thankfully for Yorkshire, the wickets continued to fall.
Coad struck in a miserly six-over new ball spell which cost him only seven runs.
He had Alex Davies caught behind as he aimed an uppercut to try and relieve the pressure, leaving Lancashire at 11-1 towards the end of the fifth over.
Six and a half overs later, Bresnan trapped the other opener Karl Brown lbw as he played back to one which kept low – 31-2 in the 12th.
Then, Lancashire slipped badly as Brooks struck twice in two overs to get Steven Croft caught at mid-wicket and Liam Livingstone bowled (81-4 after 28).
Coad then struck three times in eight balls, bowling Dane Vilas and Tom Bailey and trapping Danny Lamb lbw, leaving the score at 95-7 in the 33rd.
Meanwhile, England have made Jonny Bairstow, Adil Rashid and Joe Root unavailable to Yorkshire for their final two Championship matches ahead of the early winter tour to Sri Lanka.
