Gavin Hamilton marked his return to Yorkshire's team after a year's absence with a career-best 143 not out on the first day of the three-day match against Bradford-Leeds Universities' Centre of Excellence at Bradford Park Avenue yesterday.

There was also a century for Richard Blakey as Yorkshire plundered 409 for three in 82 overs off a generally weak attack before declaring and the Universities' side were 17 for one when bad light stopped play ten minutes early.

Hamilton dropped out of Yorkshire's team in the opening weeks of last season when psychological problems badly affected his bowling and it remained unclear yesterday whether he would bowl in the current game. If he feels unable to do so, then Yorkshire will probably have to decide if he is good enough to be retained on the staff purely as a batsman.

Although Bradford-Leeds were obviously out of their class, they were badly weakened by two serious injuries in the field, both opening bowler Bilal Ijaz and batsman Tabassum Bhatti having to go to hospital with finger injuries.

Put in to bat, Yorkshire were given a solid start by captain Matthew Wood and Craig White who put on 129 for the first wicket in 30 overs.

White, in his first game of the season, showed he is making an excellent recovery from his rib operation by hitting a confident 65 off 76 balls with a dozen fours and he looks certain to be included in Yorkshire Phoenix's side for the match with Kent Spitfires at Tunbridge Wells on Sunday.

Wood was also grateful for the chance to be able to relax and play some strokes and he stroked 63 from 103 deliveries, with seven fours and a six, before he and White fell in the same over from leg-spinner Mark Bagley, who extracted plenty of turn from the pitch.

Blakey and Hamilton wasted no time in taking a heavy toll of the bowling which, apart from Bagley and former Yorkshire seamer Chris Elstub, was not too troublesome.

The pair completed their centuries within a few balls of each other and they had thrashed 247 together off only 47 overs when Blakey drove Elstub to mid-off after making 117 from 139 deliveries with 16 fours and two sixes.

Hamilton, who drove three enormous sixes on to the old football field, also amassed 17 other boundaries and at the declaration he had received 168 balls.

Pieter Swanepoel claimed a wicket with his fifth delivery which Jamie Kennaway hit straight to Wood at mid-off but Simon Webb and Bagley managed to survive the next six overs in fading light.

Meanwhile, Yorkshire's Management Board yesterday decided to reply in strong terms to a former member who it is alleged had issued a death threat to the Board because of the team's recent slump in form.

President Robin Smith said the letter had an address and had been signed.