Leicestershire in full control against Yorkshire CCC at game's halfway stage

The First Division's bottom club moved from 177-3 at the start of day two to 453 as they replied to Yorkshire’s first innings 185.

The visitors closed on 32-2, 236 behind at the game’s halfway stage.

In muggy and mostly cloudy conditions, the day was just 15 minutes old when rain arrived to take the players off, resulting in a 50-minute delay.

Five overs were lost and lunch put back until 1.15pm, by which time Leicestershire had added 76 runs in 20 overs without further loss.

That was time enough for Rehan Ahmed, 62 overnight, to advance to his seventh first-class century, reached from 128 balls with 15 fours and a six.

Rehan had 114 to his name at the break and Nick Kelly, the New Zealand left-hander, 44, having started the day on 25, the home side then in complete control.

It was difficult to see where a wicket was coming from but Rehan finally made a mistake when the lead stood at exactly 100.

The all-rounder lofted Matty Revis to Sam Whiteman at cover as one hand came off the bat in the process, Rehan out for 128 from 168 balls to end a partnership of 160 with Kelly inside 39 overs.

Yorkshire took the second new ball as soon as it became available at 327-4 and Hassan Ali needed only five deliveries to strike with it, bowling Ben Cox for 31.

But Kelly marched on to reach his 14th first-class hundred from 167 deliveries with 15 fours and a six, and the Leicestershire No 5 had 114 out of 377-5 at the tea break.

Kelly had progressed to 121 when Dom Bess had him lbw as he pushed forward and missed, but Yorkshire were further frustrated by Joey Evison, who reached an attractive half-century from 84 balls with seven fours and a six.

Evison was not quite able to help his team to maximum batting points, though, the Leicestershire total standing at 448-6 – just two runs short – by the 110-over cut-off mark, with Yorkshire collecting two bowling points.

Evison fell for 55 following a mix-up with Ben Green when he played Bess out to mid-wicket, hesitated and was run-out by Ben Cliff, on as a substitute.

It sparked the loss of the last four wickets for five runs in 22 deliveries, a somewhat tame end to the home side’s innings.

Josh Davey came down the track to Bess and skied the ball to James Wharton at mid-on, then Ben Green was bowled by Dan Moriarty, who finished things off by having Alex Green caught behind.

Moriarty was the most successful bowler with 4-85 from 20.4 overs, Bess returning 2-47 from 14 and Hassan 2-80 from 22.

Trailing by 268, Yorkshire had a tricky 16 overs to negotiate up until stumps. They lost both openers in the space of five balls in the seventh over, Will Luxton edging a back foot shot off Davey to third slip and Adam Lyth turning to leg slip, but Wharton and Sam Whiteman held firm.