Yorkshire v Hampshire (County Championship) : Day Four

A monumental seven-and-a-half hour innings of 168 not out from Hampshire's rookie opener, Jimmy Adams, knocked the wind clean out of Yorkshire's sails on Saturday just when it looked as if they may be heading for their first Championship win of the season.

Set a daunting 404 for victory, Hampshire got there by five wickets with ten balls to spare, Adams' career-best knock coming off 313 balls with 13 fours.

The defeat was all the more depressing for Yorkshire because it was the highest fourth innings winning total made against them, beating Gloucestershire's 392 for four at Bristol in 1948.

David Byas, Yorkshire's director of cricket, said the result was 'a bitter pill to swallow' and of most concern to him must have been the poor form of his mainstream bowlers.

Deon Kruis was the only front-liner to pick up a wicket, the other four to go down being shared by the ever-dependable Anthony McGrath and Darren Lehmann who are also Yorkshire's leading scorers by some distance.

Hampshire were given a slow but solid start of 133 between Adams and Michael Carberry and there was another substantial partnership of 137 for the fourth wicket between the unflappable Adams and Dominic Thornely who struck 71.

Thornely was out to Lehmann in the over before the second new ball was taken and Yorkshire's hopes were briefly raised when Deon Kruis bowled Dimitri Mascarenhas and Lehmann returned to have Nic Pothas smartly stumped.

But while Adams continued to stick like a limpet, Greg Lamb thrashed out so successfully that 47 runs came off seven overs to hurry Hampshire to the winning line.

England captain, Michael Vaughan, had a satisfactory workout in the match, scoring 56 in Yorkshire's second innings and spending long spells in the field.

But Vaughan suffered a reaction which kept him out of yesterday's C&G match against Durham and stressed afterwards that he was still a fair way from being 100 per cent fit.

"Obviously, I have still got a few aches and pains but my progress is on the rise," said Vaughan, who did not rule out the possibility of returning for England in the forthcoming NatWest Series against Sri Lanka.

"I have spent time in the middle but the best test has been to stand for over 90 overs in the field in one day and I have done that.

"I am still trying to ease my way back into county cricket because it is now six months since I was fully fit. My body has to get used to twisting and turning and all the other movements one has to do in cricket.

"I know it is hard for people to accept I am playing for Yorkshire and not England but I am some way off being at an international standard of fitness at the moment."

Scorecard

Yorkshire v Hampshire at Headingley.

Overnight: Yorkshire 350 (T T Bresnan 91, M J
Lumb 67, C White 57; S K Warne 4-68) and 301-
8 dec (A McGrath 127, M P Vaughan 56).
Hampshire 248 (D J Thornely 76, J P Crawley
54, M A Carberry 52; T T Bresnan 4-36) and 46-
0.

Hampshire Second Innings
J H Adams not out 168
M A Carberry lbw b McGrath 62
J P Crawley c Wood b McGrath 19
D J Thornely c Kruis b Lehmann 71
A D Mascarenhas b Kruis 2
N Pothas st Brophy b Lehmann 23
G A Lamb not out 32
Extras (b3 lb6 w2 nb16 pens 0) 27
Total 5 wkts (111.2 overs) 404
Fall: 1-133 2-164 3-301 4-309 5-357
Did Not Bat: S K Warne, R J Logan, J T A Bruce,
B V Taylor.
Total Bonus Pts: Yorkshire 7 Hampshire 4
Bowling: Gillespie 24-6-66-0. Kruis 21-3-75-1.
Bresnan 18.2-2-74-0. Lehmann 16-0-70-2.
Dawson 14-3-37-0. McGrath 18-0-73-2.

Hampshire (18pts) beat Yorkshire (7pts) by 5 wickets