Jacques Rudolph, fresh from his 99, hailed Yorkshire’s opening day display against Hampshire at the Rose Bowl yesterday as “outstanding”.

The South African fell one short of three figures, caught at mid-wicket off the bowling of his big mate Imran Tahir.

But he played a major role as the White Rose enjoyed one of their best days in this season’s LV= County Championship.

Rudolph was helped out by further half-centuries for captain Andrew Gale, Anthony McGrath and Gary Ballance as the visitors closed on 318-3 from 105 overs.

And all of this came just 48 hours after their Clydesdale Bank 40 defeat against the Netherlands, which was most definitely the low point of a disappointing summer.

Rudolph said: “I just think we’re lacking a little bit of confidence.

“I’ve not been here with the guys for four months, but it was one of my first impressions that we just looked a little tentative and not sure how to go about things.

“The way we played here was absolutely outstanding. I felt as if we played really good four-day cricket all day.”

Yorkshire may miss out on two batting bonus points, but they look well set to reach 500-plus during today’s second day on a flat pitch.

It may be good for batting, but the fact that confidence shorn Hampshire employed four spinners on the first day will give the visitors plenty of heart as they go in search of their third win with Adil Rashid and David Wainwright in their ranks.

After the early loss of Joe Sayers to Chris Wood, whose first seven overs were all maidens, Rudolph and Andrew Gale shared 129 inside 32 overs for the second wicket after the Yorkshire skipper had won the toss.

“They bowled really well early on, Wood in particular,” continued Rudolph. “But it was easier when we got through that stage.”

Gale, who finished with 54 off 96 balls, and Rudolph, who faced 211 balls and had earlier reached his half-century with a slog-swept six off left-arm spinner Danny Briggs, both clipped Tahir to mid-wicket during the afternoon session.

“I would have loved to get treble figures,” said Rudolph, who has now posted four scores in the 90s in his last eight innings after South Africa ‘A’s recent tour of Zimbabwe.

“These things happen though,” he said. “Next time I think I’ll just clear his head.”

McGrath and Ballance advanced the score from 204-3, clinching a third batting point with an unbeaten hundred partnership of their own.

McGrath, dropped on 20 at short-leg off Tahir’s bowling, reached his first 50 of the season off 156 balls after tea before Ballance posted his sixth of the campaign off 91.

The pair will resume today on 65 and 50 respectively.

Rudolph added: “It’s a healthy scoreboard, but it’s also a dangerous situation. You can get into a situation where you feel you’ve done it and then they could get a few wickets quickly and you’re back under pressure.

“We’ve really got to knuckle down in the first hour.”