AFTER the thrills of watching Damien Martyn's record-breaking double century yesterday, Yorkshire fans were yawning today as Gloucestershire slowly laid a solid foundation in their bid to reach the 327 required to avoid the possibility of the follow on.

Yorkshire knew that they would have to bowl out their opponents twice to win the match and clinch promotion but Matthew Hoggard and Chris Silverwood were unable to create any problems in the opening overs.

Chasing Yorkshire's 476, Gloucestershire resumed today on 5-0 off two overs, Phil Weston having made four and Craig Spearman a single.

Hoggard was the less effective of the two bowlers and Weston took a boundary off him with an extra cover drive.

A ball just short of a length from Silverwood went over the top of Spearman's stumps but the right-hander responded with a boundary and soon afterwards there were four overthrows as Martyn aimed at the stumps and missed.

Yorkshire made a double bowling change in order to try and pep things up, Steve Kirby and Darren Gough taking over, and Kirby just failed to find the edge of Spearman's bat as he pushed forward.

With 15 overs gone, Gloucestershire were 35 without loss, both openers having moved steadily on to 17.

Weston speared Gough to the vacant third man boundary before the former England strike bowler had an appeal for lbw against Spearman rejected, the nearest that Yorkshire had come so far to taking a wicket.

In the 19th over the visitors had moved on to 41 without loss.

It was in stark contrast to the fireworks yesterday when Aussie star Martyn, who only two weeks ago broke his nose while batting, returned for Yorkshire to thrash the fastest first class century of the season on his way to an epic record-breaking innings of 238.

Martyn received a prolonged standing ovation from the sun-basked crowd when he returned to the pavilion after playing one of the greatest innings in the history of the Championship.

Martyn's brilliance tended to put in the shade a superb innings of 116 from Matthew Wood, the pair setting a new fourth wicket record stand for Yorkshire of 330 in 55 overs.

It was also the highest Championship partnership for any wicket at Headingley and the 11th highest anywhere for any wicket for the county.

The end for Martyn came when he attempted to hit Alex Gidman over mid-wicket and was bowled after batting for 222 minutes during which he faced 159 balls and thrashed seven sixes and 38 fours.

His first 50 took him 33 balls with a six and ten fours; his second 32 balls with a further three sixes and five fours; his third 43 balls off which he added 11 fours; and his fourth only 20 balls with another three sixes and six fours.

The speed with which he made his career-best score can be seen when compared to the double century for Yorkshire by his Australian Test colleague Darren Lehmann in the Roses match at Headingley in 2001.

Lehmann, no slouch himself, got to the 200 mark in 283 minutes from 239 balls with 28 fours and a six.

There were many breathtaking moments in Martyn's innings but none more so than when he on-drove left-arm spinner Ian Fisher for two enormous sixes in the region of the old winter shed to complete his double century.

Wood's great supporting role ended the ball after tea from Gidman, which he edged to slip after striking 18 fours and two sixes off the 236 balls he received.

It was an astonishing day's cricket in a match which Yorkshire must win to gain promotion instead of Gloucestershire.

Craig White was caught in the slips off the very first ball from Dewsbury-born seamer Mike Smith and after Martyn was out at 396-5, Yorkshire drifted to 476 all out in exactly 100 overs, the determined Richard Dawson being unbeaten on 48.

Gloucestershire, needing 327 to avoid the follow on, batted for two overs and closed on five without loss, a position they were able to improve in the early stages today.

Updated: 14:10 Thursday, September 18, 2003