A touch of Frost in mid-September froze out Yorkshire at Edgbaston yesterday and had the County Champions skating on even thinner ice in their bid to avoid the drop into the Second Division, writes David Warner.

Needing at least 11 points to keep their survival hopes alive, Yorkshire were keen to make the right start by bowling out Warwickshire cheaply.

They were denied by Tony Frost, who responded to his promotion up the order by hitting his maiden Championship century.

Once Frost had gone, Dominic Ostler took over the main scoring role with an unbeaten 126.

At the close Warwickshire were 374 for five and in command of a match which they should go on to win.

Both teams fielded considerably weakened teams for various reasons.

Warwickshire had just as much incentive for winning as Yorkshire because they are still in with a shout of finishing second in the table and collecting £50,000 in prize money.

Steven Kirby struck an early blow before the morning mist had cleared by bowling Mark Wagh, but Warwickshire skipper Mike Powell and Frost quickly got on top, Powell scoring freely on the legside.

Once Frost had settled in he began to outscore his captain and at lunch was 63 to his partner's 57, but after adding only a single Powell was lbw to a full-length ball from Ryan Sidebottom.

The stand was worth 140 in 33 overs and Powell had struck six fours and faced 122 deliveries.

Yorkshire's 17-year-old paceman Nick Thornicroft, from Sheriff Hutton, bowled an excellent spell in the afternoon and thoroughly deserved his success when Ian Bell played a half-hearted cut to point and was caught by the swooping Gary Fellows.

Frost, whose previous Championship best was 66, completed his century out of 203 for three, but after making 103 off 158 balls, with 15 solid boundaries, he was lbw to a straight one from Anthony McGrath.

Ostler began to punish Yorkshire's tiring attack with some energetic drives and he and Dougie Brown put Warwickshire in charge with another century partnership, this one worth 112 in 32 overs.

The nearest Richard Dawson came to getting a wicket was when Brown, on 12, drove him just short of the diving Sidebottom at mid-on, but Ostler continued to flex his muscles and he dashed to his century off 125 balls with his 20th boundary -- a magnificent back foot square drive off Kirby.

Brown was finally caught in the covers driving at Sidebottom, who appeared to have Ostler taken behind the wicket off a no-ball, the batsman's response being to straight drive the next delivery for four to move him on to 116.

Ostler packed 24 boundaries into his 126 and looked in the sort of mood to add to the tally today.

Updated: 12:15 Friday, September 13, 2002