YORKSHIRE fought back well with five evening wickets after being bowled out for 184 during a weather-affected opening day of their Specsavers County Championship match with Hampshire at Emerald Headingley.

Hampshire closed on 79-5 from 23 overs, including two wickets apiece for Jack Brooks and Tim Bresnan.

The White Rose are still looking over their shoulders in terms of the relegation picture, despite their task of eliminating Worcestershire from the equation being made much easier as they suffered a nightmare day against Essex.

They were bowled out for 94 at Chelmsford, with Essex closing on 252-5.

If Worcester go on to lose, they would be relegated, and it is looking increasingly likely that Yorkshire will now only need nine points from their remaining two games to eliminate Lancashire from the race, thus securing safety.

The Red Rose do not play this week.

Here, Yorkshire failed to gain a single batting point as they were bowled out midway through the evening session, with ex-West Indies quick Fidel Edwards claimed 4-83 from 16 overs.

Gary Ballance hit a fluent 30, passing 10,000 first-class career runs in the process. But his was the top-score of an innings played out in breezy conditions.

Morning rain prevented play from starting until 12.40pm, with 80 overs to be bowled.

In bowler-friendly conditions, the White Rose were hurt by the loss of three wickets for two runs midway through the afternoon as they slipped from 70-2 to 72-5, with medium pacer Gareth Berg trapping Ballance lbw and bowling Tom Kohler-Cadmore for two off the under-edge as he attempted to leave alone.

Yorkshire struggled to combat an accurate Hampshire attack spearheaded by former international new ball pair Kyle Abbott and Edwards, who shared six wickets in all.

Abbott made the initial breakthrough by bowling Jeet Raval and wrapped up the innings by bowling Brooks.

Sandwiched in between, pacy Edwards was on song and too hot to handle.

He bowled Harry Brook, Bresnan and Steve Patterson, with Bresnan yorked with a beauty of an out-swinger. He also had Matthew Waite caught behind.

The day started with Ben Coad awarded his first-team cap by Steve Patterson.

Prior to this game, Coad, 24, had taken 91 wickets in 20 Championship appearances, and he later added to that tally.

He helped Brooks reduce Hampshire to 33-3 inside six overs of their reply.

Either side of Coad getting Oliver Soames caught behind, Brooks trapped Joe Weatherley lbw and Jimmy Adams superbly caught at third slip by Brook.

Brook later claimed a second catch after Bresnan found the edge off Sam Northeast’s bat, leaving Hampshire at 63-4 in the 16th. That became 68-5 four overs later when Bresnan trapped James Vince lbw.

On his cap presentation, Coad added: “It’s a dream come true, I’ve always wanted to try and get to this stage of my life and the names you see on that board, just to join them is incredible and nobody can ever take it off me.

“It’s a huge milestone and you could say it’s a box ticked but we all know what the next one is now if we can get there; to try and get an England place.”

Seventeen overs were lost to bad light.