YORKSHIRE 350 & 263/6 declared DREW WITH HAMPSHIRE 443

HAMPSHIRE take on Lancashire at Old Trafford tomorrow on the back of a bore draw against Yorkshire in their day-night Specsavers County Championship match at the Ageas Bowl.

Half-centuries from Harry Brook and Jack Leaning ensured Yorkshire avoided any chance of losing with a 108-run stand, which stretched over 38 overs.

Just one point had separated the teams when the game started and Hampshire moved level by taking 11 points to Yorkshire’s 10 - although the Tykes remain one place higher in the table.

Yorkshire had started the day with a slender two-run deficit, with two wickets intact – with key batsmen Gary Ballance and Cheteshwar Pujara at the crease.

But both departed within the first hour to spark Hampshire’s hopes of starting a collapse, and possibly a route to victory.

The pair had added exactly 50, having been joined the previous night, before Ballance edged on loan off-spinner Ollie Rayner behind to Tom Alsop.

The England middle-order batsman had only managed to add three runs to his overnight score in 14 afternoon overs.

An over later Indian Test man Pujara was bowled between bat and pad by Ian Holland, the American born Australian’s first wicket of the season.

Just as Yorkshire were staring at a slump, Brook and Leaning came together for the fifth wicket to take the game back towards a stalemate.

Brook was the more aggressive and actively sought the bad ball to drill towards the boundary, while Leaning set in for the long haul.

Brook accelerated from 35 to his half century in a single Holland over – caressing a quartet of boundaries through the off-side – with the milestone shot his 68th delivery.

The 19-year-old had early scored 79 in the first innings to prove his talent as one of the most exciting young players on the circuit.

The new ball, taken with a minimum 53 scheduled overs remaining, also failed to take effect as Dale Steyn, who is being rested from the Old Trafford trip ahead of Saturday's Lord's final, and Fidel Edwards struggled to get anything out of the ball or slow pitch.

Brook fell in freak circumstances as he was run out at the non-strikers end, after Gareth Berg had pushed Leaning’s straight drive into the stumps.

But Leaning continued and completed a second half century of the season in an epic 174 balls.

Jonny Tattersall reached 22 before he was bowled by Rayner – the debutant ending with figures of four for 54.

When Steven Patterson and James Vince eventually shook hands at 7.50pm, Leaning had crawled to 54 from 191 balls – with Yorkshire ending 170 runs in front.

Hampshire head coach Craig White: “One of our major focuses was to nail the first innings so we have done well there.

“With the ball it was pretty hard work so they have hung in well.

“We had to have a magic hour first up to have a sniff but, to be fair Leaning and Brooks, got stuck in and batted well.

“It was a pretty placid pitch and the ball wasn’t doing much, so when you are trying not to get out it is hard to breach your defences.

“Ollie has been brilliant. He is a great character and great for the dressing room and out in the field with his enthusiasm – it is what we needed.

“We knew this block of games against Yorkshire and Lancashire was important.

“And we knew if we beat one of them we’d get up into a decent position. We will be working to get a result next week.”