Phil Jaques lifted the deep depression which had been hanging over the Rose Bowl yesterday with a stunning unbeaten 193 as Yorkshire climbed steadily to 268-3 on the second day of their Championship match against Hampshire.

He was to resume today needing only a further three runs to establish a record at Hampshire's new headquarters by overtaking the previous highest individual score of 195 by Sussex's Murray Goodwin in 2001.

The Australian left-hander completely dominated the crease with a masterly display of batting in which he hardly ever played a false stroke and throughout the day the batsmen at the other end was never more than sleeping partners.

Jaques is currently with Yorkshire as replacement for the injured Ian Harvey and on this showing director of cricket David Byas will be more reluctant than ever to see him leave them for a while on July 17 when Darren Lehmann will be back and Harvey should be fit again.

The weather in the morning was just as bad as the previous day when only 10.4 overs were bowled in three sessions and constant heavy showers meant that a mere 22 deliveries were sent down in a further three passages of play before an early lunch was taken.

But the constant comings and goings did not upset the concentration of Jaques who blossomed in the afternoon sunshine while on his way to the first century against Hampshire by any batsman in the Championship this season.

He was particularly powerful on the legside and during the course of the day he planted six sixes over mid-wicket with perfectly timed sweeps and pick-ups, two each coming off Dimitri Mascarenhas, Alan Mullally and Shaun Udal.

Accompanying Jaques throughout all of the stoppages was the phlegmatic Chris Taylor who helped him add 115 in 37 overs for the second wicket in a tortoise-and-hare partnership.

Taylor deserves much credit for getting his head down in difficult circumstances and staying put and he had been in for 17 overs before an edge to third man brought him his first boundary.

Jaques' first six off Mascarenhas took him to his 50 and he struck both Mascarenhas and Shaun Udal high over the rope again before Taylor edged Udal's arm bowl and was caught at slip for 22 from 110 balls with two fours - a display of stubbornness of which his hero, Geoff Boycott, would have been proud.

Another six off Udal brought Jaques his second Championship century of the season off 134 balls with 11 fours and four sixes and soon after tea he despatched Mullally over the mid-wicket fence.

Michael Lumb settled into a similar innings to that of Taylor and the score was 193-2 when he lashed Billy Taylor through mid-wicket with the first full-blooded stroke from a batsman other than Jaques. Lumb had contributed 18 to the third wicket stand of 86 when he sparred at Taylor and helped the ball into Nic Pothas' gloves.

Next to assist Jaques was fellow left-hander, Vic Craven, and at stumps he had made 15 out of an unbroken fourth wicket stand of 57, Jaques having struck 23 fours and six sixes off the 247 balls he had received.

Jaques so monopolised the crease that he had contributed 72 per cent of the total number of runs and 77.5 per cent of the runs off the bat.

Updated: 10:47 Friday, June 25, 2004