Yorkshire CCC struggle with the bat at their Lord's bogey ground

On their subsequent four trips Yorkshire have lost - most famously in 2016, when a hat-trick from Toby Roland-Jones (victims Azeem Rafiq, Andrew Hodd and Ryan Sidebottom) led the hosts to the title at Yorkshire’s expense.

For Yorkshire’s previous Championship win at Lord’s prior to 2013 you have to go all the way back to 1987, when Phil Carrick’s men eked out a two-wicket triumph.

More of a bogey venue, then, than a happy hunting ground, as Yorkshire strive to avoid a fifth straight defeat at cricket’s headquarters.

There is a long way to go but, at the end of a rain-affected first day, they were under some pressure, bowled out for 159 before Middlesex reached 84-2 at stumps, with Mark Stoneman on 38 and Leus du Plooy 23.

Shan Masood, the Yorkshire captain, top-scored with 33, with Ryan Higgins’s nagging medium-pace claiming 4-31. A wicket each for Jordan Thompson and Mickey Edwards put a slightly better gloss on things from Yorkshire’s perspective, but the visitors have plenty to do.

After two rounds of the Kookaburra ball and some hard yakka for bowlers, with big totals posted on slow April pitches, the Dukes ball is now back in operation.

Few teams will be more grateful for its return, perhaps, than Middlesex, whose first two Championship games saw them concede 620-3 declared against Glamorgan at this ground and then 552-6 declared at Northampton last week.

As play started here beneath overcast skies, with the pitch over to the Grandstand side of the stadium, almost opposite the Yorkshire dressing room, around 500 schoolchildren provided most of the atmosphere.

Quite whether their constant cheering and shouting was the result of their collective euphoria at the return of the Dukes was unclear; more likely, perhaps, it was simply the thrill of a day off from lessons.

The toss seemed significant given the conditions, with Roland-Jones inserting a Yorkshire team that showed two changes to the one that drew at Gloucestershire on Monday.

Thompson and Edwards came in for Matt Milnes and Matty Fisher, with Matthew Revis once more overlooked despite a strong and encouraging end to last season.

Adam Lyth set about his business looking every inch like a man who had scored hundreds in both of Yorkshire’s first two games, twice off-driving stylish boundaries off Ethan Bamber, the 25-year-old seamer.

Lyth is the only survivor from Yorkshire’s 2013 victory here - the only survivor on either side, in fact - but his purple run of form did not continue, for when his score was 15 and the total 29, he was lbw pushing forward to Roland-Jones.

Still, by the time rain forced the players from the field shortly afterwards, Yorkshire’s score stood at 41-1 from seven overs in a positive start that augured well.

When play finally resumed at 2pm, with 21 overs lost but some bright sunshine found, a vastly different picture began to emerge.

In a little over 15 overs, Yorkshire collapsed from 64-1 to 98-7, with the “big two” of Joe Root and Harry Brook managing eight runs between them.

First, Fin Bean, who had played some pleasant shots, was bowled by Roland-Jones off an inside edge as he shaped to defend. Root edged a little loosely to gully - as did Brook when he edged a drive into second slip’s hands.

Masood, having played well and fashioned five boundaries (including an uppercut for six off Tom Helm), was adjudged leg-before, and Jonny Tattersall and Thompson fell in the space of three balls to the probing Higgins, who trapped them leg-before and caused problems with his shape.

Higgins bowled George Hill as he tried to hit to leg, and Yorkshire were indebted to a cameo from No 9 Ben Coad, who is no mug with the bat.

Coad thumped 24 from 18 balls with three fours before edging Higgins to second slip, moments after the floodlights had been turned on and just before another band of rain came shortly before tea, at which point Yorkshire were 146-9.

Dan Moriarty was the last man out, caught at second slip, the visitors’ innings spanning 37.4 overs.

With conditions still good for bowling, Thompson bowled Nathan Fernandes through the gate before Edwards had Max Holden caught behind, the Australian bowling with plenty of gusto and generating bounce.