AFTER battling hard for two days, Yorkshire suddenly lost their grip against Second Division leaders Hampshire at Headingley yesterday and slumped to defeat by 119 runs.

It is the first time that Yorkshire have lost a Championship match to Hampshire since 1990 following a sequence of seven wins and nine draws but the one consolation for the Tykes is that they are unlikely to come up against tougher opponents all season.

Yorkshire were right in the hunt at the start of the third day when Hampshire resumed on 114-5, still only 120 in front, but the visitors soon got on top of the bowling with their last five wickets going on to add 199 runs.

This left Yorkshire to make 330 for victory on an untrustworthy pitch and only Matthew Wood and Phil Jaques looked at all comfortable as wickets fell at regular intervals.

Just as in the first innings, Hampshire profited from a splendid innings from wicketkeeper Nic Pothas whose 77 was just as important as his century earlier in the match.

Coming in on Thursday evening with Hampshire in big trouble on 64-4, Pothas struck the ball well, hitting ten fours and two sixes before he sparred outside off-stump at Craig White and was caught behind.

Once again, White did not bring himself on until it was too late but he was poorly served by Matthew Hoggard who gave away 60 runs without taking a wicket while Ian Harvey also bowled 11 overs for no reward.

Chris Silverwood and John Blain each ended up with three wickets but Silverwood was never as threatening as in his new-ball burst and Blain was too expensive, 76 coming off his 14 overs.

Yorkshire's bowlers also took a hammering from Shaun Udal, who made sure Hampshire would set a stiff target by blazing his way to 52 from 80 balls with six fours and two sixes, and Alan Mullally caused further pain with a violent 22, his highest score for two seasons.

As is becoming their habit, Matthew Wood and White began confidently for Yorkshire without going on to better things and at 35 in the ninth over White tickled a catch down the legside off Billy Taylor.

Anthony McGrath made a steady 18 in 16 overs before becoming a victim of the pitch as a grubber from Chris Tremlett struck his pads and in the over before tea a ball from Mascarenhas lobbed gently off the shoulder of Wood's bat and landed in the hands of Derek Kenway at second slip.

Michael Lumb, so solid in the first innings, edged a wild drive at Mascarenhas and was taken in the slips by Michael Clarke without scoring and three balls later Harvey was out in the same irresponsible way to give Mascarenhas three wickets in nine balls on his way to a final haul of 5-44.

Only the left-handed Jaques batted with any authority but it was in a lost cause and with five overs of the day remaining he was last out for 78 on his Yorkshire debut having struck nine fours and two sixes while facing 111 balls.

Updated: 10:23 Saturday, May 15, 2004