Yorkshire CCC closing in on victory in the land of W.G. Grace

What Gloucestershire would give now for such a giant figure; they are winless in the Championship for 19 months, and holders of the tournament’s wooden spoon.

This season has started unpromisingly too; after their opening match at Derby was completely washed out, they are in trouble against a strong Yorkshire team, 97-4 heading into day four in pursuit of a notional 498 to win.

In contrast to Gloucestershire, not so ‘glorious’ any longer, Yorkshire do not need to go back into their history to find their own giants.

There is one taking part in this game in the form of Joe Root, and another rapidly emerging in the shape of Harry Brook; for the hosts, only the mighty surname of ‘Hammond’ endures in the figure of Miles Hammond, the elegant left-hander and no relation of Wally.

Having failed in the first innings, neither Root nor Brook were of a mind to miss out, and they cashed in as Yorkshire advanced towards a declaration at 434-6 around half-an-hour after tea on day three.

After openers Adam Lyth (113) and Fin Bean (73) laid the platform, ably supported by Shan Masood (40), Brook scored 68, Root 51 and George Hill chipped in with 58 as Yorkshire ground down their modest opponents, who have never before chased more than the 389 they knocked off against Yorkshire at this ground in 1948.

On another day of sunshine and freshening winds, as pleasant a day for cricket as one could hope for in April, Yorkshire resumed on 57-0, with Lyth on 39 and Bean 15. Both men were soon into their stride, Bean playing perhaps the shot of the morning when he on-drove Josh Shaw towards The Thatchers Bar.

By the time they were separated, three overs before lunch, they had achieved their highest partnership for the county - 180 inside 38 overs, eclipsing the 177 they fashioned against Worcestershire at New Road last July.

Bean was the man out, playing back to a delivery from Graeme van Buuren, the left-arm spinner, which trapped him leg-before, the left-hander having faced 100 balls and hit nine fours and two sixes - the first six over fine-leg off Marchant de Lange, which took him to his half-century; the second swept firmly off the spinner Ollie Price.

Lyth, who caressed three successive offside fours off de Lange, has started the season well, days after announcing his intention to play on into his 40s. The 36-year-old is one of the timeless sights of the county scene, and Gloucestershire were sick of the sight of him by the time he was out.

Having reached his second hundred of the season from 120 balls, after scoring 101 against Leicestershire in the opening match at Headingley, Lyth was pretty much error-free before he reverse-swept van Buuren to short third-man.

His 113 came from 150 balls and contained 19 fours; there seems plenty of life in the old dog yet.

Root emerged jauntily from the pavilion, almost bouncing his way to the middle and guiding his second ball behind square off van Buuren to the backward-point boundary.

He played stylishly and with few alarms, even unfurling his famous - or infamous - reverse ramp, as well as sweeping Price for a handsome six.

Masood lofted van Buuren for a six over mid-wicket, adding 70 with Root before the same man had him stumped off a delivery that snaked between his legs as he tried to smother the spin.

Having reached his half-century from 56 balls, Root was well caught one-handed down the leg-side by wicketkeeper James Bracey as pace bowler Zaman Akhter claimed the Yorkshire giant for the second time in the game.

Brook pulled an appalling delivery from van Buuren for six, a wide long hop that positively screamed “hit me”, as he raced to his own fifty from 43 balls.

At tea, Yorkshire already had more than enough runs, the lead at that stage 423, but they batted on - and on - into the evening session.

Brook eventually holed out on the mid-wicket boundary off de Lange, having faced 57 balls and hit nine fours to go with his six, and Hill played nicely for a 54-ball half-century that included a contemptuous pulled six off de Lange.

When Hill picked out wide long-on off Price, still Yorkshire opted not to declare, Masood only pulling the plug 11 runs later with 26 overs left in the day and a minimum of 122 remaining in the contest.

It took Ben Coad just nine balls to make the breakthrough in the Gloucestershire second innings, Chris Dent turning to Bean at leg-slip. At the other end, Matty Fisher inspired a couple of close shaves as eager fielders waited for a chance.

As residents in the flats at the Ashley Down Road end looked down on proceedings, like theatre-goers up in the gods, Matt Milnes elicited a loose drive and edge from Cameron Bancroft as Gloucestershire fell to 48-2.

With 16 balls remaining, Hammond slogged Dan Moriarty to mid-wicket – a ridiculous shot that would have had Wally and W.G. turning in their gr aves – before Fisher trapped nightwatchman Shaw leg-before.