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Hampshire made 236 in reply to Yorkshire's 236

An astonishing batting collapse, even by Hampshire's standards, has left their relegation tussle with Yorkshire delicately poised.

Hampshire had enjoyed the better of the first two sessions of a very hot second day during their latest LV County Championship match at the Rose Bowl.

James Tomlinson (5-55) completed his third five-for of a dream season as Yorkshire were bowled out for 236, having resumed on 206-7, midway through the first session.

But when Tomlinson was out to the last ball of the day, Hampshire were level on 236, having been 157-2.

Hampshire had no answer to Adil Rashid, the young leg-spinner who claimed a career-best 7-107 in tandem with slow left-armer David Wainwright as the home side lost seven wickets for 41 runs in just 15 overs after tea.

Only a potentially vital 38-run stand between Tomlinson and David Balcombe kept Hampshire in touch with Yorkshire in a low-scoring game, which will probably be decided between the leg-spinners on each side.

Yorkshire will be favourites as Rashid will have the advantage of bowling in the final innings of the match.

But when Michael Brown and Michael Carberry were laying the foundations of what should have been a sizeable lead, Hampshire were in firm control of a match they need to win to go above Yorkshire and out of the first division's relegation zone.

Brown and Carberry top scored and put on 82 for the first wicket, the biggest stand of the match.

But they will regret not building on their encouraging starts. Brown (45) was trapped lbw attempting to sweep Rashid's quicker ball and Carberry (46) nicked a Rana Naved delivery slanted across him before Hampshire reached tea on 125-2.

What followed was a shambles.

Michael Lumb (21) had looked good before he was caught at silly mid-off after surviving numerous bat/pad appeals against Adil Rashid, his former Yorkshire teammate.

Like John Crawley against Lancashire and Carberry against Kent, Lumb's record against his former county (101 runs at 16.83) is worse than it is against any other.

His departure prompted the collapse.

Chris Benham (0) was lbw padding up to the next ball, a Rashid googly, and Sean Ervine (43) was stumped after coming down the track to Wainwright, attempting a third six.

Having been dropped on one by Jacques Rudolph at first slip off Rana Naved, Ervine restored some tempo to Hampshire's three-runs-an-over rate with sixes against Wainwright and Rashid over long on and cow corner.

Nic Pothas (8) was furious to have to follow him into the pavilion after Neil Mallender adjudged him caught at silly mid off.

Pothas bottom-edged a sweep against Rashid on to his pad and young Adam Lyth caught the rebound.

Dimitri Mascarenhas (10) became the fourth Hampshire batsman to be dismissed attempting to sweep when he was trapped lbw by Wainwright.

Then Rashid struck twice more in successive overs.

Chris Tremlett (4) was stumpted attempting to slog against the spin and Tahir (4) edged a leg-break to first slip before Balcombe and Tomlinson restored parity.

Balcombe clipped Naved for six over the short mid-wicket boundary during his unbeaten 20 from 30 balls before Tomlinson's valuable innings ended when he was caught at leg slip for a 24-ball 22.

A delighted Rashid said: "The wicket helped me, there was a bit of bounce and turn and we all bowled extremely well. We need to get over 300 in our second innings."

Yorkshire bowling: Hoggard 11-5-23-0, Naved 13-2-38-1, Kruis 12-2-30-0, Rashid 31.1-1-107-7, Wainwright 12-4-28-2

Hampshire bowling: Tremlett 24-6-61-2, Mascarenhas 21-13-23-2, Balcombe 8-2-29-0, Tomlinson 21.5-8-53-5, Ervine 7-0-26-0, Tahir 11-2-30-1, Carberry 1-0-1-0

7:02pm Thursday 7th August 2008

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