ANTHONY PALLADINO led a remarkable comeback for Derbyshire against Yorkshire to give them a healthy first innings lead in the County Second XI Championship encounter at Stamford Bridge.

The visitors, replying to Yorkshire Seconds’ innings of 335, were limping at 150-6 on day two before a seventh-wicket partnership of 103 by Chris Durham (43) and Pete Burgoyne (77) put them back in the match.

That merely warmed the batting track up for Palladino, who came in at number nine and proceeded to batter the attack, smashing 136 runs to all parts of the ground before being last man out.

His first 50 came off 38 balls and his second 50, to bring up his century, took just 26 deliveries, and he figured in a last-wicket partnership of 99 with Tommy Turner – in which the latter scored only four.

This took Derbyshire’s total up to 429 all out, a lead of 94 runs.

A downpour halted play in the last session yesterday after Yorkshire began their second innings, but the home batsmen went back out to end the day on 68 without loss.

Joe Root, who scored 126 on day one, was not at Stamford Bridge yesterday as he had left to train with the first team, and so opening the second innings in his stead was Azeem Rafiq, and both he and Joe Sayers scored 32 not out.

Yorkshire therefore went into today’s third and final day 26 runs behind.