Yorkshire's carefully constructed first innings lead of 109 was quickly erased by positive batting from Lancashire who closed the third day of an intriguing Roses match at Headingley yesterday on 127 for two to go 18 runs in front.

Victory is still not impossible for either side but if Yorkshire are to win the game and go top of the Championship table they need a good first session today.

It was a credit to Yorkshire's tenacious batting that they should reach 376 and gain four batting bonus points after a double blow had left them struggling on 209 for six.

They started out on a healthy 203 for four with Darren Lehmann on 83 and David Byas on 31, the fifth-wicket pair having added 95 together on Saturday before a spectacular storm abruptly ended play.

The Australian needed a further 56 to become the first player this season to reach 1,000 runs but he had not added to his overnight score when he fell lbw to Mike Smethurst for 63 off 108 balls with seven fours.

Richard Blakey was lbw to Glen Chapple without scoring but Byas continued to bat with great discipline and he overcame his patchy form to move to his second consecutive Championship half-century with a mid-wicket boundary off Richard Green.

Byas received excellent support from the cool Gary Fellows and the pressure was considerably eased when first Green with a back injury and then Sourav Ganguly with a groin strain had to be withdrawn from what was already a second string attack.

But Ganguly's departure proved embarrassing for Byas because Neil Fairbrother completed the over and his second ball was nicked by the captain to wicketkeeper Warren Hegg to bring the Lancastrian only his sixth wicket in 18 years of first class cricket. It was a sorry end to a courageous innings of 81 by Byas who had lasted for 197 balls and struck ten boundaries.

After putting on 82 with Byas and taking Yorkshire into the lead, Fellows then played some further sparkling shots while adding 46 with Silverwood and he had managed his career-best score of 46 when he nibbled at Chapple and Michael Atherton held a good catch at first slip.

Matthew Hoggard's boundary which flew between first and second slip without either responding took Yorkshire to 351 for eight and produced a fourth batting point.

In attempting to secure a fifth, however, Silverwood hoisted Gary Keedy to long on where he was caught by Fairbrother for a brisk 34 and the innings ended with Hoggard hitting a catch to Keedy at point off Andy Flintoff.

Atherton and John Crawley began to wipe off the arrears positively but Chris Elstub came on as first change and Atherton edged a drive at an away swinger into Blakey's gloves.

Both Crawley and Fairbrother attacked strongly in the closing overs to add an unbroken 53 together, Crawley finishing unbeaten on 46 and Fairbrother 26.

lDarren Gough, anxious for match practice, played for Yorkshire Academy yesterday in a four-wicket Yorkshire League win over Sheffield United and took four wickets