Hampshire v Yorkshire: Lyth puts Yorkshire in control at sunny Rose Bowl

After losing the toss, Yorkshire were unexpectedly put in to bat by Hampshire capotain Nic Pothas – and was quickly made to regret his decision as Lyth roared out of the blocks.

Greedily dominating the strike from opening partner Joe Sayers, left-hander Lyth showed just why his stock in the game is rising so rapidly, sending the ball fizzing to the boundary with an array of stylish and powerful strokes.

After just four overs, Yorkshire's score had already raced to 41 without loss, as Lyth took advantage of some wayward Dominic Cork bowling.

And as he raced to his 50 from just 59 balls – with Sayers, awestruck at the other end with his score on just three – it seemed Yorkshire were set fair to make prodigious hay while the south-coast sun was shining.

Indeed, it seemed set fair that Lyth would smash a pre-lunch century when he pulled David Balcombe for a huge six, but some more disciplined bowling slowed Yorkshire's progress, leaving them at 115-0 at lunch.

Pothas's decision to go into the field in almost sub-continental heat was already looking like a game-changing mistake however, as Lyth emerged from the interval with his eyes firmly set on a big hundred.

Yet more chanceless shots zipped past the despairing dives of home fielders, as Lyth eventually clubbed his way to a second century of the season – becoming the leading run-scorer in domestic cricket this season in the process – from just 157.

Sayers at the other end continued to act as the anchor to Lyth's more dashing play, but it seemed he would be the first to go when he edged Sean Ervine to Jimmy Adams at first slip, but the chance was grassed.

Yorkshire eventually lost their first wicket just a few runs later, when Lyth – by now seemingly convinced he could hit every delivery precisely where he wanted – holed out at long-on for 133 after trying to dispatch seamer James Tomlinson for a six.

Anthony McGrath steered Yorkshire from 195-1 to 201-1 by tea, but all signs still pointed towards a mammoth batting total, with in-form batters to come.

But as is so often the case after a huge partnership, so a brace of wickets fell quickly, first Sayers nicking Cork to Neil McKenzie at second slip for 49, his painfully slow innings taking 177 balls.

Next-man in Jacques Rudolph did not stick around for nearly as long, snicking through to Pothas behind the stumps for just three.

The uncharacteristic mini-tumble of wickets brought Hampshire into the game for the first time all-day as Yorkshire threatened to waste their impressive start.

Combined with Sayers's pedestrian pace, the wickets had also slowed Yorkshire's run rate and transformed a day which began with the promise of almost 400 on the board into one in which 300 would be an achievement.

But concerned Yorkshire fans could not hand pick two better candidates in a crisis – however small – than captain Andrew Gale and his predecessor McGrath.

The pair, who share a similar mentality towards the game and are at their best when they need to scrap to establish a foothold in the game, showed trademark grit in the face of some increasingly impressive Hampshire bowling to get the Yorkshire innings back on track.

Even with the ball growing older, there was still value for good shots on a fast Rose Bowl outfield and both Gale and McGrath quickly settled into a rhythm.

Bad balls were dispatched, decent balls blocked or left and as the sun continued to pound down, so Hampshire heads began to drop and nerves in the White Rose dressing room were calmed.

The new ball arrived with Yorkshire at 257-3 and 12 overs of the day's play remaining – but Hampshire's bowlers were weary and doubtless frustrated at their captain's decision to allow them to toil in the field.

The final dozen overs yielded 43 runs as Gale and McGrath rotated the strike and punished anything loose, McGrath ending the day unbeaten on 55, while Gale ended play undefeated on 38.

DISPLAY OF THE DAY

Adam Lyth

No contest for this one today, as Lyth demonstrated just why he is a star of international class in the making. Perhaps with a bit more experience, he would have batted the day, but his innings was one of rare quality and utterly thrilling.

Hampshire v Yorkshire

The Rose Bowl: Hampshire Won Toss

Yorkshire First Innings

A Lyth c Ervine b Tomlinson 133

J J Sayers c McKenzie b Cork 49

A McGrath not out 55

JA Rudolph c Pothas b Cork 3

AW Gale not out 38

Extras lb5 w3 nb14 22

Total 3 wkts (96 overs) 300

Fall: 1-195 2-209 3-215

To Bat: J M Bairstow, R M Pyrah, A U Rashid, S A Patterson, T L Best, O J Hannon-Dalby.

Bowling: Tomlinson 24 1 90 1; Cork 24 8 50 2; Balcombe 14 2 49 0; Ervine 19 1 62 0; Herath 15 3 44 0.

Gloucestershire's batsmen got a little extra help from Derbyshire's bowlers but still failed to pass 250 on the opening day of their County Championship Division Two match at Derby.

The home side conceded an astonishing 76 extras, including 17 no balls, which was five short of the club's record and the top score in Gloucestershire's 242.

Teenage pace bowler Atif Sheikh bowled 14 of them which marred his figures of 3-78 on his first-class debut.