Yorkshire left-hander Michael Lumb yesterday showed touches of the same class which he displayed last summer before going down with a serious knee injury in mid-season.

Cutting and driving with great power, Lumb blasted a magnificent 121 off Bradford-Leeds Universities' tiring attack at Headingley, putting on 219 in 39 overs with opener Scott Richardson who was out for the same score.

Yorkshire later declared at 384 for four with a lead of 219 and the Universities had gamely made their way to 72 for two by the close when they trailed by 147.

Not everything went Yorkshire's way, however, because Gavin Hamilton and Steven Kirby bowled loosely with Hamilton's performance being particularly worrying.

This was Lumb's first appearance at Headingley since his maiden Championship century against Leicestershire late last June and he made his way rapidly to another three figure score after being put down by Andy Siddall at second slip off Chris Elstub when only 11.

It was an expensive miss because Lumb, son of former Yorkshire opener, Richard, showed no mercy, blasting Elstub for four boundaries in five balls on his way to a half century from 99 deliveries with ten fours.

His second 50 came off just 30 balls and when he marched down the track to James Lucas and did not bother trying to regain his crease he had smashed 16 fours and four sixes off a total of 143 balls.

Richardson was also given a life by Andy Siddall in the slips when 49 and if he could not quite match Lumb's ferocious strokeplay he still timed the ball nicely and nailed on his place as opener with Matthew Wood in Wednesday's Championship curtain-raiser against Surrey at Headingley. Like Lumb, he rapped out 16 fours before being caught on the long-on boundary.

Wood batted fluently for his 31 on Saturday and there was time before the declaration for Chris Taylor to warm up with an unbeaten 44 and for Gary Fellows to make an attractive 40.

Universities' openers Harvey Anderson and Jon Payn experienced contrasting fortunes to the first innings when their side were dismissed for a plucky 165 after being put in to bat.

Anderson, who had been removed for his third duck in three innings this season, was soon off the mark but Payn could not repeat his earlier good form, being taken by Taylor at short leg off Chris Silverwood.

Steven Kirby was again all over the place, giving away six legside wides just as he had done the previous day, but when he was taken out of the attack, Ryan Sidebottom immediately trapped Lucas lbw.

Hamilton was even more wayward than Kirby and his last over of the day cost 19 runs and included three wides and three no-balls, leaving him to make for the dressing room looking less then pleased with himself.

l New captain Darren Lehmann is relishing the challenge of helping Yorkshire to hold on to the County Championship title.

But he also had some bad news when he flew in from Australia over the weekend and joined up with his county teammates.

Lehmann confirmed that not only would he be returning home for almost a fortnight in June to play in three one-day internationals against Pakistan but that his season with Yorkshire would end in mid-August.

Australia will then be preparing for their Test tour of Pakistan which means that Lehmann will leave Yorkshire just when their Championship bid is reaching its climax.

He remained optimistic of Yorkshire's prospects in all competitions, however, and said he was confident that fellow Australian Simon Katich would prove to be an excellent stand-in during his absence.

Since Lehmann was appointed last autumn to succeed David Byas as Yorkshire's captain his international career has taken off again and he is now very much a part of Australia's squad. "I must admit that I never thought I would play Test cricket again but I always felt I might make it back into Australia's one-day side," said Lehmann.

"Now I am right in the frame and things have certainly turned round for me."

Despite his busy winter in State and international cricket, Lehmann said he had arrived in Yorkshire fresh and eager for the new season.

"I never feel stale at the start of a new campaign," he added. "Meeting old friends and colleagues quickly gets you in the mood for the action to start.

"Although I am in charge now, I don't think much has changed from last season and there won't be anything done very differently.

"We need to bat well if we are to compete and I am expecting the younger players to be given a chance.

"The future is in their hands and I hope that they will be able to lift the level of Yorkshire cricket to where it was many years' ago."