Yorkshire missed a great opportunity to take a tight grip on the Roses match at Headingley yesterday after they had put Lancashire in to bat and reduced them to 128 for six at one stage.

But they then showed themselves to be an experienced bowler short and wicketkeeper Warren Hegg's fighting 75 helped Lancashire recover to 267 all out.

Matthew Hoggard emerged with Yorkshire's best figures, warming up nicely for next week's Test with four wickets for 70 runs.

With Yorkshire starting out just one point behind second-placed Lancashire in the race for the Championship title every point is vital and three bowling bonus points for Yorkshire to their opponents' two for batting left the sides level pegging.

This is the last Championship game at Headingley before the £9.2m redevelopment of the ground is due to begin next month but Yorkshire started it on a downbeat note as Matthew Hoggard and Chris Silverwood bowled too inaccurately to cause Michael Atherton and John Crawley any undue problems.

The pair breezed up 46 in 12 overs before Craig White came on and in his second over produced a fine ball to Crawley which turned the captain round and found the edge for David Byas to hold on to the catch at second slip.

The wicket was a welcome one for Yorkshire but they soon found themselves chasing leather as Andy Flintoff tore into the bowling with some gloriously timed shots which required the minimum of power from his broad frame.

Flintoff scored a rapid 160 in last summer's Roses match at Old Trafford but fears of similar carnage ended when 19-year-old seamer Chris Elstub joined the attack and with his third ball had the big man lbw on the drive.

Suddenly, Yorkshire were in control and next to go was Atherton whose bat was shaved by an away swinger from Hoggard but the dismissal of the day belonged to young Elstub who bowled Neil Fairbrother with a full length delivery which moved late before knocking down his stumps.

Yorkshire stayed on top as Graham Lloyd gloved a hook at Chris Silverwood to Richard Blakey and Sourav Ganguly offered no stroke at a ball from Hoggard which also moved in late and took the inside edge.

With Skipton-born seamer Glen Chapple next in, Yorkshire should have been poised for the kill but neither Elstub nor Gary Fellows were the right men to have to turn to at this stage and Hegg and his partner made steady and unspectacular progress until Hegg went on the attack by rushing to his half-century in an over from Fellows which cost him 13 runs.

Having omitted both James Middlebrook and Ian Fisher, Yorkshire looked to Michael Vaughan for some spin and his arm ball finally accounted for Chapple after he had contributed a patient 19 to an 88 stand in 30 overs with Hegg.

Richard Green, who finished unbeaten on 29, started to walk when he edged White but Blakey dropped the simple catch, and 32 frustrating runs were put on for the eighth wicket before Hegg hooked at a bouncer from Hoggard and was caught behind after receiving 129 balls and striking nine boundaries.

Former Yorkshire left-armer Gary Keedy was bowled by Hoggard aiming to leg and White rounded off the innings by knocking down the middle stump of last man Mike Smethurst.

Simon Widdup clipped Chapple's first ball of the Yorkshire innings for four but later in the over a sudden downpour ended play with 9.1 overs remaining.

TEEN TYRANT: Yorkshire's 19-year-old Roses debutant Chris Elstub captures the wicket of Lancashire dangerman Andrew Flintoff at Headingley yesterday