YORKSHIRE are battling hard to avoid conceding a Specsavers County Championship Division One double to Hampshire, having been made to follow-on during today's third day at the Ageas Bowl.

Bowled out for 231 in reply to Hampshire's first-innings 445 on the stroke of lunch, they slipped into deep trouble at 20-2 second time around.

But in-form captain Gary Ballance led an afternoon and evening fightback with the help of Alex Lees as they went a long way to ensuring a close of play 178-3 from 61 overs.

Ballance hit 108 in the first innings and has added 78 not out in the second, with Yorkshire trailing by 46 runs.

England Test captain Joe Root fell for two to add to the eight he scored on day two.

At that stage, another three-day defeat to match the opening-round fixture at Headingley was on the cards.

But Ballance and Lees looked in little trouble against a tiring attack before the latter departed for 70 late on.

To see Yorkshire's Test quality batting line-up struggle on this pitch has been a surprise.

Out of the top eight, only Lees has not played at the highest level.

Batting conditions have been good throughout, with the new ball providing the only danger.

Unfortunately for Yorkshire, Hampshire made the most of it.

They reduced Yorkshire to 46-5 inside 20 overs of the first innings yesterday, with Root, Peter Handscomb and Jonny Bairstow making only 16 between them.

This came after Hampshire, inspired by Gareth Berg's unbeaten 99, had recovered from slipping to 302-7 in the early stages of day two.

Yorkshire may not have had the rub of the green with some first-innings decisions.

Lees' lbw looked high, Handscomb's outside the line, Tim Bresnan did not look to have edged his caught behind and last man Ben Coad was caught at first slip off his shoulder, but there was no doubt about Root's dismissals.

He was caught behind nibbling at a back-of-a-length delivery from Berg and lbw to one which kept low from South African Kyle Abbott yesterday.

Ballance has marshalled Yorkshire's batting, as he did at Headingley.

He has now scored nine hundreds in 13 matches as a first-class captain dating back to 2011, and he is poised to add number ten.

He advanced from 63 not out overnight in the first innings to reach 108 off 198 balls.

Strong on the cut, he also had to deal with spells of being targeted with the short ball.

The 27-year-old was called into action again early in the second innings after Adam Lyth, caught behind off Berg, and Root fell.

He slowly but surely reduced the Hampshire lead alongside his fellow left-hander Lees, with the pair sharing 150 for the third-wicket either side of tea.

Hampshire could have removed Lees on 26 when he edged Reece Topley, only to see wicketkeeper Lewis McManus parry the ball as he dived in front of first slip.

Aside from that, Hampshire rarely looked like breaking through.

They had the odd lbw and caught-behind appeal, while all-rounder Sean Ervine even converted from his usual medium pace to off-spin for a couple of overs.

Ballance reached 50 off 106 balls and Lees off 136 before he edged Abbott behind late in the day.