Gavin Hamilton and Captain Courageous Darren Lehmann led a brave Yorkshire recovery after Leicestershire captain Vince Wells had stunned them by coming on with his medium pacers to capture three wickets for no runs in four overs at Grace Road yesterday.

Wells' pre-lunch burst left Yorkshire reeling on 24 for three and still a long way from the 202 they required to avoid the possibility of the follow on - and their position looked even more difficult because Lehmann was at this time nursing a stiff back and being forced to delay his appearance in the middle.

He eventually came in at 122 for five and both he and Hamilton rapped out sparkling half centuries before bad light stopped play with six overs remaining and Yorkshire only eight runs away from safety at 194 for five.

Hopes that Yorkshire would quickly polish off Leicestershire's last two wickets in the morning soon evaporated as Neil Burns and Carl Crowe rapidly took the overnight 286 for eight to 332 with a ninth wicket stand of 61 during which Chris Elstub and Ian Fisher both suffered in the four overs before the new ball was taken.

Chris Silverwood ended the late spree by bowling Crowe with an inswinging yorker for 30 and he closed the innings on 351 by cartwheeling Burns' off stump for 58 off 89 balls with five fours.

It had been a patchy performance by Silverwood who still recorded his best figures of the season of four for 60.

Simon Widdup, who went on to defy Leicestershire for 52 overs, and Vic Craven took Yorkshire carefully to 22 when Wells brought himself on to replace Jon Dakin and immediately created havoc with his accurate medium pace.

Wells banged one in hard to have Craven caught at second slip by Ben Smith who then held an even better catch to send back Anthony McGrath before Matthew Wood got in a tangle and was lbw.

It was left to Widdup and Gary Fellows to attempt a recovery and two consecutive cover drives by Fellows clearly demonstrated that Wells was by no means unplayable.

Widdup, who had looked unshaken while wickets tumbled at the other end, had a moment's good fortune when Burns put him down off spinner Anil Kumble but he then lost Fellows to a good ball from James Ormond which just did enough to find the edge of the bat.

Hamilton picked up runs cleanly with well executed shots on either side of the wicket while Widdup remained unruffled until he pushed Kumble to Iain Sutcliffe at silly point and was out for 38 off 140 balls in three hours and six minutes of dogged resistance, his stand with Hamilton worth 62 in 23 overs.

Despite his back problems, Lehmann soon looked at ease and Yorkshire were 133 for five at tea when a heavy burst of rain caused 12 overs to be lost. On the resumption Lehmann thrashed three fours in an over off Anil Kumble and Hamilton reached a deserved 50