A ROUSING innings from Michael Lumb and a fiery blast of bowling from Chris Silverwood turned the tables on Hampshire during a fascinating day's Championship cricket at Headingley on Thursday.

Yorkshire showed such steely determination with the bat that they came within six runs of Hampshire's first innings score of 322 and the Second Division leaders were struggling on 114-5 at the close when their lead was only 120 with the game fascinatingly poised.

There has been a discipline about Yorkshire in this game that has not been seen for some time and it would seem that the influence of director of cricket, David Byas, is beginning to be felt.

Having lost Craig White to the last ball of the previous evening, Yorkshire suffered another blow when Matthew Wood was taken in the slips off Alan Mullally's fourth delivery of the morning to make them 40-2 but then almost everyone made a telling contribution against bowling which was as keen as mustard.

Australian newcomer, Phil Jaques, got to 31 before unluckily playing an intended hook into his stumps and fellow countryman, Ian Harvey, looked in smouldering form until he pulled too impetuously at Chris Tremlett, the best of Hampshire's bowlers, and skied to Shaun Udal at mid-off.

There was nothing over-casual about Anthony McGrath who applied himself admirably in a stand of 70 with Jaques and he was just looking set for a big score when he got a thin touch to an outswinger from Dimitri Mascarenhas.

But the real backbone for Yorkshire was provided by the left-handed Lumb who played the sort of innings that his dad, Richard, often watched from the other end in the days when he opening for the county with Geoff Boycott.

Lumb showed newly found depths of patience in refusing to be tempted outside off-stump but he never missed any scoring opportunities as he figured in productive partnerships with Harvey, Richard Dawson and Chris Silverwood.

His most crucial stand was with Dawson because their seventh wicket alliance moved Yorkshire on from a vulnerable 193-6 to 246 before Dawson cut at one which lifted more than he expected and he was caught behind for a dashing 35 with five boundaries.

Lumb continued on his unruffled way and it was not until John Blain was ninth out that he decided to take the bull by the horns by lifting Mascarenhas over cover for a glorious six but on 83 with eight other boundaries he mis-hit a big drive and fell to a well-judged overhead catch by the bowler, Shaun Udal, whose late arrival in the attack brought him three wickets for eight runs.

After an indifferent start, Silverwood suddenly went on the warpath from the Kirkstall Lane end, pinning Derek Kenway lbw and two balls later having Will Kendall stunningly taken by Simon Guy who sprawled forward in front of first slip to hold on to the catch.

It became three wickets for one run in 13 balls for Silverwood as Michael Clarke lost his nerve and edged a wild drive to third slip where Jaques clung on to a stinging catch with both hands and when the persevering Blain gained lbw verdicts against Michael Brown and Lawrence Prittipaul Hampshire were 73-5.

Nic Pothas, Hampshire's first innings century-maker, and Mascarenhas, then held firm with an unbroken stand of 41 which checked Yorkshire's advance.

Updated: 10:20 Friday, May 14, 2004