The defeat at the Rose Bowl was Yorkshire's fifth of the campaign – more than any other county in either division. More worryingly, it was a fourth loss in their last five games in the competition for a side that was top of the table at the start of last month.

They desperately need to halt their slide, so this week's Roses match, which starts tomorrow at Old Trafford, is of even more significance than usual.

McGrath is under no illusions as to the root of his team's problems, pointing to the succession of batting collapses that reached a nadir in Friday morning's capitulation at Southampton: having been level on first-innings, and been 45-0 in their second, Yorkshire were skittled for 107, with all 10 wickets falling in a shade over 20 overs.

Slightly less exaggerated flurries of wickets led to the defeats against Durham (twice), Kent and Nottinghamshire, and others were unpunished

"We've had problems with losing wicket in clusters all year," said McGrath. "We've talked about it to try and eradicate it, and we batted a bit better against Surrey last week, but unfortunately it cost us again at Hampshire.

"I think we had a couple of dubious decisions but that's not an excuse. Even though it was not an easy pitch for batting, the other batters got themselves out rather than getting unplayable deliveries.

"The coaches can talk until they're blue in the face, it's about players being responsible for their own game. You've got to learn quickly at this level: you can't keep getting out in the same way, making the same mistakes. Otherwise you lose your place in the side. And if players do it in clusters, you lose matches.

"We can't feel sorry for ourselves. In some ways the Roses game is the perfect tonic, but we need to change this very quickly, otherwise we're going to be in big trouble.


"Of course we need to make sure we don't go down. We're trying to win every game and there's no talk of relegation but as the games whittle away, it's staring us in the face.

"We're running out of time in this competition. Only a few weeks ago we were top of the league, but it's turned around very quickly."

While the batting frailties were glaring, Yorkshire were not much more impressive in the field in their defence of their modest total, failing to make any impression on a brittle Hampshire batting line-up in the fourth innings on Friday.

In conditions that should have suited him, Matthew Hoggard was unable to find the swing or the control with which the much less heralded Hampshire bowler James Tomlinson had tormented the visitors, and leg-spinner Adil Rashid could not relocate the spark that had been so evident 24 hours earlier when he took
7-107.

McGrath, though, attributed little blame to his attack.

"Defending such a small total, the pressure is on to get wickets straightaway," he said. "A target of even 150 or 170 might have been different but as a batting team chasing 100, you know the bowlers have not much margin for error.

"It was down to the batsmen really.

"If we had got any kind of score, there's no doubt we'd have bowled them out but unfortunately, we didn't get a score for the bowlers to bowl at."

McGrath also insisted that Yorkshire's spirits remained high, highlighting the manner in which they fought back in Hampshire's first innings on Thursday, their dominance of the first three days against Surrey and their valiant, albeit vain, second-innings rearguard action at Nottinghamshire.

He feels that the team has played some decent cricket, but has been undermined by short spells of dreadfulness.

He said: "I don't think we've been playing badly over four days; we're just having nightmare hours or sessions, and we don't seem to be able to get that flaw out of our game.

"We manage to get ourselves into good positions, then throw it all away.

"In the games we've lost, we've played good cricket and then had a crazy hour or so (where we've lost seven wickets in an hour or bowled badly for a hour – like we did at home against Durham.

"We're not being outplayed for whole games; it's just we've had a nightmare session and that's taken the game away from us. We've got to sort that out."


How to stop the collapses


Sam Wheeler looks at who might drop out and who might come in.

Potential fall-guys

How Yorkshire's batsmen have fared in the Championship.

Andrew Gale: Despite falling away after a tremendous start, still a satisfactory season filling in as an opener. 710 runs at 39.44.

Chris Taylor: Has shown application, but yet to make a really telling contribution. 121 runs at 24.20.

Anthony McGrath: A poor season. Passed 50 just twice. 427 runs at 28.46.

Jacques Rudolph: The most productive batsman. Once in, he rarely fails to make a big score. 906 runs at 53.29

Adam Lyth: Huge potential, as shown by his century at Nottinghamshire, but can get out in impetuous fashion. 450 runs at 30.00.

Gerard Brophy: The wicket-keeper's crisp striking is suited to counter-attacking. Four useful half-centuries. 465 runs at 25.83.

Adil Rashid: His batting has been a big disappointment, after he averaged 46.47 in the Championship last year. 318 runs at 18.70

Possible solutions

Michael Vaughan: Once rated the best batsman in the world and still only 33, but can the former England captain regain his focus and form? He could be available to face Kent at the end of the month.

Gary Ballance: The 18-year old, formerly of Derbyshire, has been plundering runs for the 2nd XI since scoring 1 and 5 on his sobering first-team debut at Kent.

Joe Sayers: Three epic centuries at the start of last season, but has struggled horribly since then, failing to pass 22. Showing form for the 2nd XI.

Nightmare sessions

How Yorkshire have collapsed to their five Championship defeats this season

Hampshire (a), 2nd inns: 45-0 to 54-5 and then 107 all out.

Notts (a), 1st inns: 68-2 to 95-8.

Kent (a), 1st innings: 341-2 to 410 all out

Kent (a), 2nd inns: 173-4 to 196 all out

Durham (h), first inns: 166-5 to 184 all out

(Durham's 1st inns: from 161-7, they put on 143 for the eighth wicket)

Durham (a), first innings: to 50-6

Durham, (a), second innings: to 60-7