Thompson to the fore as Yorkshire CCC in complete control

First, Thompson converted his overnight 48 into a score of 70 as Yorkshire advanced from their first-day total of 425-8 to be dismissed for 456 some 25 minutes into the morning session.

It was his highest score for the club since he struck 74 against Northamptonshire in a T20 fixture at Headingley in June 2021.

Thompson, whose only other higher innings for Yorkshire was 98 against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in the Bob Willis Trophy in 2020, then sparked a dramatic collapse which saw Worcestershire lose four wickets in as many overs after lunch, the visitors tumbling from 90-0 all told to 162 all-out.

Operating from The Howard Stand end, Thompson bowled Kashif Ali as he tried to leave and then had Adam Hose superbly caught low to his right at third slip by Fin Bean.

At the other end, Ben Coad had Jake Libby caught at second slip by Adam Lyth as he played away from his body, opener Libby contributing the top score of 53 from 106 balls with seven fours.

Coad’s second wicket came courtesy of a juggling catch at first slip by George Hill which accounted for Matthew Waite, and his third followed when Tom Taylor was caught behind off an inside edge.

At that point, Worcestershire were 113-6, a far cry from that relative comfort of 90-0 before the first wicket went down when Jack White had Gareth Roderick caught at second slip by Lyth.

White claimed his second when Brett D’Oliveira’s off stump was uprooted, the Worcestershire captain having earlier dislocated his thumb - which was put back in - when dropping a catch offered by Thompson on 65 off Taylor as he ran in from deep cover. Hill followed up by having Ben Allison caught at first slip by Dom Bess.

After tea, Thompson returned to have Ethan Brookes well caught at mid-on by a diving Dawid Malan, then Coad finished things off by having Duffy caught behind, giving him figures of 4-39.

Despite holding a lead of 294, Yorkshire chose not to enforce the follow-on, reaching 61-1 at stumps. Bean was the man out, chopping on to Allison as he tried to hit through the offside to end a stand of 45 with Lyth, who reached 32 not out, nightwatchman Bess unbeaten on 10.

Earlier, Coad had fallen to the day’s eighth ball, caught behind off Allison for 31, having added 75 with Thompson in 64 balls.

Thompson, who faced 58 deliveries and hit six fours and four sixes, eventually fell to a brilliant catch on the square-leg boundary by Rob Jones (substituting for D’Oliveira), the fielder parrying the ball up as his momentum carried him over the rope and then completing the catch as he re-entered the playing area.