RICHARD Blakey and Chris Silverwood both reached notable milestones off the same ball when Yorkshire's Championship game against Glamorgan finally spluttered into life again at Headingley yesterday.

But Yorkshire had the initiative seized from them by a record ninth-wicket unbroken stand between wicketkeeper Mark Wallace and Australian Michael Kasprowicz which took Glamorgan to 248-8 at the close when they held a first innings lead of 39.

Replying to Yorkshire's 209, Glamorgan soon hit trouble during a fiery burst of 3-25 from Silverwood.

In Silverwood's second over, a superb delivery to Adrian Dale climbed off a length for Blakey to take the catch to give the wicketkeeper his 800th victim for Yorkshire and bring the bowler his 400th dismissal in first-class cricket.

By way of celebration, Blakey took another four catches but no further ones came his way as Glamorgan rallied strongly in the evening session.

Yorkshire, having resumed on 190-9 were taken safely to 200 and a single batting bonus point by Ryan Sidebottom and Steven Kirby but at 209 Sidebottom played on to one which kept low from Bradford-born Alex Wharf.

Nicely warmed up by collecting Dale's wicket, Silverwood struck again in the same over by dismissing David Hemp with another good delivery which was nicked to Blakey and the same combination accounted for Ian Thomas.

Sidebottom had Mike Powell dragging a catch to Michael Lumb at square leg and Jonathan Hughes, bowled by a Kirby no-ball on two, skied a hook for Blakey to dash a full 45 yards to hold.

Matthew Maynard edged Sidebottom to first slip where Yuraj Singh held on to his first catch for his adopted county.

Yorkshire's bowling visibly tired and their chances of picking up a useful first innings lead were destroyed by Wallace and Kasprowicz who batted with increasing confidence in an unbroken ninth-wicket stand of 91.

Updated: 10:28 Saturday, May 24, 2003