Yorkshire 554/7d lead Hampshire 74/3 by 480 runs

Liam Dawson bowled a record 60 overs in an innings as Hampshire toiled against Yorkshire  at The Ageas Bowl.

James Vince (5) and Joe Weatherley (2) departed inside the first six overs  of Hampshire's reply to leave the visitors 11-2, after Gary Ballanace had top-scored with 148 in Yorkshire's 554-7 declared.

Having watched their Hampshire counterparts labour on a very slow, flat wicket, Ben Coad and Duanne Olivier extracted more out of the surface.

Firstly, Vince, who has promoted himself to the top of the innings with the hope of earning an Ashes spot, was caught by Tom Kohler-Cadmore at first slip while attempting a block in the fifth over.

An over later, Weatherley edged Olivier’s chest-high bouncer.

Aiden Markram added 59 with Sam Northeast in gloomy conditions, making an enterprising 45 before picking out Ballance at deep mid-wicket against the part-time off-spin of Jack Leaning  - leaving Hampshire 74-3 at stumps.

Yorkshire had piled on 554 runs over five sessions with five players reaching a half-century for the first time since 2014.

Ballance began day two on 120 and continued in a similarly modest style.

He and night-watchman Steven Patterson added 80 for the fourth wicket, although the latter was given a life when he was dropped by Markram running back from first slip.

Ballance has an impeccable Ageas Bowl record and passed 1,000 first class runs at the ground when he reached 141.

But he departed having added seven more when Gareth Berg snared him with a quality bouncer – which he glanced behind while attempting to evade it.

Berg, wicketless in the season's opener against Essex, then had Patterson caught by Liam Dawson at point during a four-over morning spell that yielded two for five.

Kohler-Cadmore (41) and Leaning  (77no) pushed the score through the 400-mark; the former was lbw to the hard-working Dawson, and the latter reached to a 116-ball half-century.

Jonny Tattersall, who made his debut in the corresponding fixture last year, helped Leaning add a further 95 for the seventh wicket.

He had made 23 when he was dropped by Fidel Edwards on the leg-side boundary, before reaching a 79-ball half-century.

Dawson (3-184) was again rewarded for toiling through 60 overs, a record in an innings on this ground, when he found a leading edge off Tattersall’s bat – with Vince taking the catch at cover.

Yorkshire skipper Steven Patterson called his batsmen in soon after.

Dawson said: “It was a very tough day for the bowling group. The pitch is probably a bit slower than against Essex.

“The toss was massive and they are in a very good position with runs on the board. We are going to have to bat for two days now.

“We have said as a group that if we come out of this with a draw then we will look back come September that is could be a massive result for us.

“There is going to be scoreboard pressure and everybody knows that but that is part of four-day cricket.

“The new ball is hard work for the first 10 or 15 overs and if you can get a couple of wickets then it becomes easier.

“We know if we can get the ball soft and bat for some time then the wicket does go dead.

“60 overs is a lot. Some people will look at my figures and think that it isn’t much to write home about but I thought I bowled really nicely the whole time.

“I don’t think I could have done a lot more.”

Ballance said: “Markram’s wicket was a bonus. He is a very good player so to get him at the end there was brilliant for us.

“It is a pretty good wicket but we saw tonight that if you put the ball in the right area for long enough then there is a little bit there.

“If we do that for long enough tomorrow then the chances will come."