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Yorkshire lost their unbeaten start to the LV= Insurance County Championship season in an enthralling final day finish against Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl.

Hampshire were set their target of 197 in a minimum of 59 overs and slipped to 103-6 in the 31st shortly after tea.

But seventh-wicket pair Liam Dawson, who posted his second half-century of the match, and Keith Barker crucially turned things around by sharing 67 to leave the visitors with a first defeat in seven Division One games to add to five draws and a win.

They lost by two wickets with 13.4 overs to spare, holding on following the late departures of Barker for 21 and Dawson for 67 off 68 balls.

Yorkshire had been bowled out for 178 20 minutes into the afternoon, including a top-score of 28 for Matthew Revis, having started the day on 101-5 with a lead of 119.

However, despite two wickets for Jordan Thompson, Steve Patterson and Dom Bess, the visitors’ impressive fight just wasn’t enough to seal a second victory and they are set to drop a place to fourth in the table on 96 points at the halfway stage in the four-day campaign.

Three quick wickets put Yorkshire on the back foot this morning at 124-8, including two in three balls as Bess and Thompson departed to Kyle Abbott and Brad Wheal.

Harry Duke was the first to fall in the day’s second over when he played on to South African Abbott for 17 – 103-6 in the 46th over of the innings.

Bess (15) was then trapped lbw by the same bowler before Thompson (10) was caught at a wide second slip by Vince as he drove at Wheal, leaving the score at 124-8 in the 53rd.

At that stage, Yorkshire led by 142 with the best part of 88 overs remaining in the day.

But Matthew Revis, 28 not out, and Dominic Drakes lifted Yorkshire with a 44-run partnership through the remainder of the morning.

In that sense, it was very much a session of two halves.

The pair had to navigate a run of four successive maidens from Scotland quick Wheal and England white ball left-arm spinner Liam Dawson before runs started to come.

Revis took back-to-back boundaries through the off-side off Wheal, who was then pulled for six over backward square by left-handed Drakes, who made 21.

Unfortunately, Drakes was ousted with the first ball of the afternoon from medium pacer Ian Holland, who had him caught at first slip driving to leave Yorkshire at 168-9 with a lead of 186.

And was only a one-over burst from Holland, who was replaced by Wheal, the man who wrapped up the innings by uprooting Steve Patterson’s off-stump.

Yorkshire’s defence then started well through Thompson, removed openers Felix Organ and Ian Holland as the score slipped to 23-2 after nine overs.

Organ was caught at third slip by Harry Brook diving across second and Holland trapped lbw.

A 55 partnership between James Vince and Nick Gubbins saw Gubbins pull Matthew Revis for six and Vince sweep Dom Bess over the ropes. However, there was revenge ahead for the Yorkshire off-spinner late in the session.

After Patterson trapped a sweeping Gubbins lbw for 42, leaving Hampshire 78-3 in the 19th over, Bess had Vince caught behind in the next for 22.

There was no further addition to the 80-4 score through to the tea break.

At close on day three, Yorkshire assistant coach Ali Maiden said they felt a chase in the region of 200 would be a tricky one for Hampshire to reel in on a pitch now showing signs of deterioration. And so it was proving.

Two further wickets in the first 40 minutes of the evening tipped the balance in Yorkshire’s favour.

Bess had wicketkeeper Ben Brown well caught one-handed by Adam Lyth going to his right from slip as the score became 94-5 in the 28th over before Patterson bowled Aneurin Donald through the gate in the 31st – 103-6.

But there was trouble ahead. After Dawson and Barker had got themselves settled, the former took the aggressive route to a fifth win in seven for a Hampshire side who strengthened their position in second place behind leaders Surrey, three points behind on 124.

The 38th over of the innings was an important one, with Dawson taking the lion’s share of 16 off Bess as the score moved to 150-6 – 47 more needed in 21 overs.

Sandwiched in between two boundaries, he lofted the off-spinner over wide long-on for six. Shortly afterwards, he reached his match-winning fifty in 54 balls.

Drakes gave Yorkshire a glimmer of hope when he removed Barker caught behind down leg pulling, with the score now 170-7 and with 27 more needed.

Dawson then top-edged a hook at Revis with seven needed to win – 190-8 – having hit 11 fours and a six before James Fuller hit the winning runs moments later.

Yorkshire return to Vitality Blast action at Durham on Friday, with their next Championship game against Surrey at Scarborough, starting on July 11.

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