STEVEN Kirby, renowned for his famous bowling exploits at Headingley last season, yesterday performed heroically with the bat to help bring Yorkshire maximum bonus points in their rain-hit draw with Hampshire.

The 12 points which Yorkshire took from the game more than doubled their tally for the season as well as lifting the County Champions off the bottom of the table.

The draw also ended Yorkshire's run of five consecutive defeats since taking the title at Scarborough last August and it convinced them that the tide has now started to turn in their favour.

While the rain hammered down on Sunday, Kirby had predicted that Yorkshire would "bat like gods" on the final day and he proved to be right - though he never saw himself in heavenly guise.

Yorkshire's sole aim when they went out to bat on 207-5 was to make it to 400 and add five batting points to the three they had already secured for bowling.

And Kirby, well supported earlier by Richard Blakey, was the man to guide them to their target with a career-best 57 from 153 balls with five fours and two sixes, easily leaving behind his previous highest score of 15 not out against Lancashire in last year's Roses match at Headingley.

When he was last out, caught behind to bring Dimitri Mascarenhas his fifth wicket, Yorkshire had cantered on to 423 which was their biggest total on the ground against Hampshire, overtaking the 378-7 declared which they made in 1951.

It would have been a different story if Kirby had not survived the simplest of chances to wicketkeeper Nic Pothas when on three with the total 289-8, but after that he never gave another chance and a great roar went up when he hooked Chris Tremlett for six over the club offices to raise the 400 in partnership with last-man Matthew Hoggard.

Kirby went on to sweep Shaun Udal for another sweetly timed six while Hoggard equalled his highest score of 21 not out made against Somerset three years' ago in their tenth-wicket alliance of 57.

Yorkshire's great revival would not have been possible without another fine innings from Blakey who put on 91 with Kirby before being taken at slip off Tremlett for 83 from 166 balls with nine fours and a straight six.

Hampshire trailed by 69 when they began their second innings after tea and Kirby, now in his fired-up role, soon trapped Will Kendall lbw, but Derek Kenway and John Crawley survived until 62-1 when the sides settled on a draw.

Updated: 11:55 Tuesday, May 28, 2002