MICHAEL Vaughan was involved in yet another injury scare at the Rose Bowl yesterday.

He had to retire hurt after being struck a painful blow on the middle finger of his right hand by Australian fast bowler, Stuart Clark.

The England captain, who had made 15 in the Yorkshire second innings against Hampshire, shook his hand in agony and took off his batting glove after being hit by a spiteful delivery which lifted sharply.

Yorkshire physiotherapist, Scott McAllister, rushed out to attend to Vaughan and apply a spray to his hand before he was able to continue and he managed a single off the next ball which was another nasty lifter.

But after facing the first two balls of the following over from James Tomlinson, Vaughan was forced to leave the field and he was later taken to hospital for an X-ray.

"The blow was obviously bad enough for Michael to stop batting but it is too early yet to assess the extent of the injury," said McAllister. "We will just have to await the results of the X-ray."

A fired-up Clark then had Anthony McGrath caught behind and Joe Sayers pinned lbw to leave Yorkshire on 49-2 at the close after gaining a first innings lead of three.

The late drama shocked Yorkshire and put into the shade a fine exhibition of fast bowling by Tim Bresnan which had earlier hauled his side back into the match just when they appeared to have their backs firmly to the wall.

Hampshire were cruising along at 158-1 when Bresnan claimed the first of his three wickets in a nine over spell and with Jason Gillespie also striking three times the home side crumbled rapidly to 232-8.

Only a gutsy knock of 70 not out from wicketkeeper Nic Pothas denied Yorkshire a much bigger lead.

Bresnan ended up with 4-65 and with a maiden century already under his belt this season he continues to be an outstanding all-round prospect, despite being cold-shouldered by England who this week did not include him in their 25-strong development squad.

During the morning session, Bresnan was the pick of the bowlers and he claimed the only wicket to fall before lunch, James Adams being trapped lbw.

The openers had put on 68 together and with Michael Brown and John Crawley easing their way into a 90 stand on a good batting surface, Yorkshire seemed to be losing control of the situation.

Bresnan, however, continued to move the ball around as well as generating a good pace and getting plenty of carry and when Crawley was brilliantly caught by Brophy at full stretch off a leg-glance it opened the floodgates.

Former Yorkshire left-hander, Michael Lumb, was straight off the mark with a handsome on-drive but he feathered a catch to Brophy in Bresnan's next over and the bowler had Chris Benham badly dropped at second slip by Younus Khan off his next delivery.

It was not an expensive miss because Adil Rashid then had Benham caught off bat and pad at silly mid-off and soon after Brown had reached a flawless century he was lbw to Bresnan for 105.

Gillespie had the immense satisfaction of including fellow Australians Shane Warne and Clark among his three victims but Yorkshire were checked by Pothas, before Rashid bowled Tomlinson to end the innings.