Anthony McGrath, right, declared to set Sussex a 281 victory target in 71 overs on Day 4 of their LV Championship match at Headingley Carnegie - and they were 257-8 when time was called, Mike Yardy hitting a superb 110.

Anthony McGrath, right, declared to set Sussex a 281 victory target in 71 overs on Day 4 of their LV Championship match at Headingley Carnegie - and they were 257-8 when time was called, Mike Yardy hitting a superb 110.

Day 4 began with Yorkshire on 152-2, Jacques Rudolph 86 and Anthony McGrath 31.

There was an early disappointment for home fans when Rudolph failed to complete what would have been a well-merited century. The South African had added three to his overnight score when he chopped Cory Collymore into his stumps after facing 150 balls, and caressing a dozen boundaries.

Andrew Gale joined his captain, but was subdued by his usual standards for a while. McGrath went on the attack - skimming a six over cover off Collymore, but soon afterwards surviving a couple of chances: he was dropped on the mid-wicket boundary by Thornely, and then by Michael Yardy diving to his left at gully.

Undeterred, McGrath pulled Jason Lewry for a mid-wicket six and on-drove him for four in the same over, his half-century coming from 66 deliveries, with two fours and two sixes.

Gale became much more aggressive, and 44 runs gushed from three overs. With 61 added for the fourth wicket Gale, on 25, hit Lewry high to cover, and was caught by Dwayne Smith. Yardy's arrival in the attack brought him three wickets in eight balls: Rana Naved-ul-Hasan was caught round the corner by Ollie Rayner; McGrath two balls later miscued to Murray Goodwin at mid-wicket for 58, and Tim Bresnan slapped a full-toss into the hands of Michael Thornely on the mid-wicket boundary.

Bresnan bowled two overs before lunch and Deon Kruis one, but Yardy, left, and Thornely managed to survive at 3-0.

The score was 20, with Yardy 10, when Azeem Rafiq put down a hard chance to gully off Bresnan. The half-century was hoisted, and it came as a surprise when at 69 Thornely, 19, shouldered arms to one from Naved that came back enough to hit the off-stump.

Yardy went to his 50, with eight fours, off 72 balls in 82 minutes. Speed gave way to spin at both ends, and Ed Joyce twice swept David Wainwright magnificently.

At 114 Azeem Rafiq hurried one on to trap Joyce lbw for 24, and Goodwin had not scored when he gave wicket-keeper Gerard Brophy a low chance off Bresnan that was not taken.

Goodwin opened his account by sweeping Rafiq through mid-wicket, but next ball he gave a sharp chance to slip, which McGrath could not accept. Goodwin drove Rafiq through long-off for four.

By tea the Sussex threat was looking ominous. 137-2: Yardy 77, with 10 fours, off 108 balls, and Goodwin 11, with two fours. 144 wanted with a minimum of 34 overs left for play. Yardy pushed Rafiq for an off-side single to bring up the 150.

Yardy flashed a short one from Kruis over backward-point for four, and backcut Rafiq for two to complete his 13th First Class century off 144 balls, with 12 fours, and his first for two years. 

Yorkshire hopes rose again at 170: Goodwin swept Rafiq, but was caught by Bresnan backward of square for 19, with two fours. 111 wanted in 20 overs.

Yardy and Matt Prior saw up the 200, and Wainwright replaced Rafiq. At 203 Yardy tried to work the left-hander to leg - but succeeded only in dollying a leading edge to Joe Sayers at short extra-cover. Yardy's 110 off 162 balls included 12 fours.

Bresnan, meanwhile, was maintaining a herculean effort from the Kirkstall Lane End - his 16 overs conceding only 28 runs. Tim suffered again when Gale missed a hard chance at slip off Andy Hodd - the wicket-keeper batsman took a single, but next ball he swept at Wainwright, and was bowled round his legs. 211-5.

Ten overs to go, and Sussex needed a run a ball. Smith reverse-swept Wainwright to the bounday, but success came at the other end when Naved replaced the weary Bresnan: with the result now depending on him he found that extra yard of pace, and wrecked Dwayne Smith's castle with a yorker. 241-6.

Martin-Jenkins did well to dig out the next, but Wainwright then produced a tidy over, and a pinned-down Martin-Jenkins stepped back to give himself room to force it through the off-side, failed to connect and was bowled.  252-7. Back at the other end, Naved ran out Prior at the wicket-keeper's end with a brilliant follow-through to his own bowling. 252-8.

Sussex were now too far behind the clock, and McGrath could afford to crowd the bat. Wainwright bowled a maiden to Ollie Rayner, who then took most of Naved's last over, and with only one ball left they called it a day.

We close with a wide-angle study of Yorkshire skipper Anthony McGrath batting this morning before his declaration which some at the time described as too generous, but which set up such a magnificent day's cricket - and so nearly brought Yorkshire to victory.

DAVID WARNER

Today's Action Pictures From Headingley Carnegie; VAUGHN RIDLEY

Day 3: Off-spinner Azeem Rafiq, right, snatched three wickets on his First Class debut, including one with his fourth ball, and Jacques Rudolph weighed in with an unbeaten 86 as Yorkshire made splendid progress on Day 3 of their LV Championship match against Sussex at Headingley Carnegie.

Rafiq, 18, from Barnsley, helped to bowl out Sussex for 217 to give the home side a first-innings lead of eight - and Yorkshire galloped on to 152-2 by the close to raise hopes of an exciting finish today. Rafiq joining the attack when Sussex were staging something of a recovery at 144-6, and he made an immediate impact - surprising Robin Martin-Jenkins with a short ball which kept low and hit the stumps.

Sussex began the day on 78-3, and although Joyce worked Deon Kruis’s first ball off his legs for four the bowlers were very much in control, both Kruis and Tim Bresnan gaining movement off the pitch and through the air with late swing.

Kruis was particularly impressive : he struck the first blow at 89 by having Matt Prior caught waist high at first slip by Joe Sayers - but the next two wickets were credited to Bresnan as Sussex dipped to 94-6. Wicket-keeper Andy Hodd was lbw to one which nipped back, and Dwayne Smith drove carelessly at a widish delivery to be caught by Kruis at mid-off.

Joyce, left, became becalmed in the late 40s, but eventually moved to a tidy half-century off 121 balls, with five fours, and Sussex began to fight back through a determined seventh-wicket alliance between Joyce and Martin-Jenkins.

It took the introduction of Rafiq to separate them when the partnership was worth 56, Martin-Jenkins departing for 33 - and he was soon followed back to the pavilion by Ollie Rayner, who became Rafiq’s second victim, caught off bat and pad by a diving Andrew Gale at short-leg.

It had been a splendid morning for Yorkshire, the only irritant being that Joyce was still batting with great determination, his unbeaten 75 coming off 172 balls with eight fours.

The cricket was slow and gritty after lunch as Yorkshire clawed their way through the last two wickets and Susex grafted on towards Yorkshire's 225.

Rafiq struck his third blow when Collymore prodded him to short-leg, where Gale held on to a hard, reflex catch.

192-9. Still Joyce did not dominate the strike. Sussex were eight short of first-innings parity when he collected the single that brought him his 20th First Class century, but Rana Naved-ul-Hasan bowled Lewry next ball.

Joyce had batted for 300 minutes, faced 225 balls, and hit 10 fours. Rafiq marked his Championship debut for Yorkshire with the best analysis: 3-34 in 11 overs.

Jacques Rudolph and Joe Sayers saw out the 44 minutes remaining until tea - Rudolph coming in on 22, with three fours, and Sayers 4. It would need a big push after the interval if Yorkshire were to set up a fourth-innings run chase tomorrow.

The push came from Rudolph: he rattled along to his 50 off 78 balls in 79 minutes with eight fours, being especially strong through the covers, and cantered the last single as he placed Lewry to the off.

Sayers swung Smith through mid-wicket to free himself from the straitjacket, but at 67 the returning Collymore pinned him lbw for 15, with one four, made off 61 balls in 83 minutes.

Michael Vaughan missed two sweep shots at off-spinner Ollie Rayner that brought the heart to the mouth, but then clicked with his first four. Lewry took the Kirkstall Lane End - and twice in three balls Michael hoisted him for six in front of the West Stand. Rudolph 61, Vaughan 20 and the 100 up.

Vaughan forced Rayner handsomely through square-leg, but was fortunate that Rayner could not hold on to a hard return drive, falling to his left. The stand was worth 83 when Vaughan slashed hard at a short one from Smith outside the off-stump, and Prior made no mistake at deep-backward-point. Vaughan had done the job with 39 in 68 minutes off 55 balls, with two fours and two sixes. At 150-2 skipper Anthony McGrath joined Rudolph, who was on 85, with 12 fours.

Each batsman had time for a single before the umpires called time at 152-2, Yorkshire 160 ahead with eight wickets standing.

BELOW: Skipper Anthony McGrath, left, and Andrew Gale join the rush to congratulate Azeem Rafiq on his maiden First Class wicket for Yorkshire.

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Today's Action Pictures from Headingley Carnegie: VAUGHN RIDLEY

Day 2: Yorkshire hit back after being bowled out for a disappointing 225 to have Sussex on 78-3 at the close of Day 2 of the LV Championship match at Headingley Carnegie.

It would have looked much bleaker but for a courageous unbeaten 75 from Gerard Brophy, pictured - who put on 96 for the eighth wicket with David Wainwright, who was playing his first Championship innings since his century in the last match at Hove last season.
 
Yorkshire took lunch at a sickly 112-7. The Sussex pacemen had it all their own way under heavy skies as Yorkshire resumed their first innings on 58-2.  Cory Collymore and Jason Lewry each bowled a maiden, and then Anthony McGrath edged Collymore to third slip where Ollie Rayner picked up a neat catch low to the ground. The skipper departed for 24.

It was the Collymore-Rayner combination which had accounted for both Jacques Rudolph and Michael Vaughan the previous evening, the former England captain being dismissed for a fourth-ball duck.

Joe Sayers, left, continued to take every care as Collymore once again posed the main threat, but there was a boundary for the opener when he struck Jason Lewry sweetly through the covers.

Andrew Gale clipped Collymore through square-leg for four, but an inelegant hit across the line brought about his downfall as the ball looped gently to Robin Martin-Jenkins at mid-on.

Collymore beat Sayers with four consecutive deliveries. He was fortunate to lob the next just over Lewry’s outstretched hand at mid-on - but in trying to play through mid-wicket he had his leg-stump rattled for 29.

He had faced 134 balls, hitting three boundaries, and Yorkshire were struggling on 95-5.

Gerard Brophy and Tim Bresnan had a lot of repair work to do on a pitch of variable bounce. At  108 Bresnan pushed forward at Martin-Jenkins - and the ball brushed the edge on its way to wicket-keeper Andy Hodd.

Rana Naved-ul-Hasan was trapped in front by Martin-Jenkins for 1, and Yorkshire took lunch at 112-7, Brophy 19 and David Wainwright yet to score.

Better times were around the corner.

Brophy ran to his 50 in 131 minutes off 92 balls with six fours, but there was no mistaking the soundness of his junior partner, who whipped one to the square-leg boundary to pass the 200.

Wainwright was bringing back memories of Hove last year - and a drive through mid-off showed his class. He had 36, with three boundaries, when he hooked Collymore - but instead of clearing the ring he was caught by Martin-Jenkins on front of the boards just backward of square. The stand had been worth 96, and it had turned Yorkshire round.

Enter debutant Azeem Rafiq. He played and missed once or twice - but he square-cut for four, and had scored 13 out of 16 for the partnership when he fished once too often at Smith to give Rayner his fourth catch of the innings. Deon Kruis steered Smith to second-slip Ed Joyce second ball, and Brophy was left high and dry on 75, with nine fours.

Yorkshire all out 225 - but where would they have been without the eighth-wicket stand?

Mike Yardy had eight of Sussex's first nine runs when Kruis won an lbw decision from the Rugby Ground End. Rana Naved-ul-Hasan replaced Bresnan at the Kirkstall Lane End, and at 34 he trapped Mike Thornely lbw. Bresnan switched to the Rugby Ground End, and then McGrath - and it was the skipper with his fourth ball who induced Murray Goodwin to slash over first slip...where Sayers plucked it out of the air to his right.

43-3, with Matt Prior to join Joyce on 21. A short break for rain did not prevent Yorkshire from getting in one more than the scheduled 32 overs in the last session, but Sussex came in at 78-3, Joyce on 38, with three fours, and Prior 18, with three boundaries. The sides go into Day 3 level-pegging.

DAVID WARNER

Today's Action Pictures From Headingley Carnegie: VAUGHN RIDLEY

PROSPECTS OF PLAY

We will be starting on time at Headingley Carnegie. There is some rain forecast for later, but at the moment we are all systems go...(fingers crossed). 

Yorkshire brought in Azeem Rafiq, lost Michael Vaughan to a fourth-ball duck, and closed at 58-2 on a weather-hit Day 1 of their LV Championship match against Sussex at Headingley Carnegie.

Matthew Hoggard was unable to play after suffering from sickness - and Yorkshire gave a First Class debut to the 18-year-old off-spinner from Barnsley.

Morning rain and a wet outfield prevented a start until 4.10pm, when 38 overs remained - but only 31 had been bowled when bad light ended play for the day, with Joe Sayers on 15 and skipper Anthony McGrath on 24.

Jacques Rudolph hit a couple of finely timed boundaries off Cory Collymore before the West Indian moved one away to find the edge and give Ollie Rayner a catch at first slip. It became 19-2 in Collymore's next over when Vaughan stabbed down on another good delivery, and Rayner held on to his second catch.

Sayers, who had started slowly but surely, found a reliable partner in the in-form McGrath, but progress remained on the slow side, and Sayers did not hit a boundary until his 53rd ball, when he glanced Dwayne Smith to move to nine.

Collymore was rested with figures of 9-4-10-2. McGrath went on to raise the 50 with the first of two boundaries in an over from Smith, but bad light prevented them from making further progress. McGrath will be keen for the White Rose county to notch their first 4-day win of 2009.

Gerard Brophy returns to action after a hand injury kept him out of the Twenty20 Cup, and Adil Rashid is with England's Twenty20 squad. 

DAVID WARNER  

PROSPECTS OF PLAY

We are underway at Headingley Carnegie when no play has been possible at any other ground in the north of England...

16.10 - play will commence after tea has been taken. We'll have a long evening session which can go through until 7pm. Yorkshire have won the toss and will bat. 

15.30 - the umpires will inspect again. They seem to be a little concerned about the bowlers runups, but we are not far away I don't think - as long as we don't get any further rain. 

14.30 - the umpires will inspect again. 

13.40 - the umpires will be making their inspection. 

11.00 - the rain has stopped but there will be no play before lunch. We will let you know if and when the umpires inspect the field of play.

08:45 - It is raining and we have had heavy rain in Leeds overnight and the outfield is very wet. It is unlikely there will be any play before lunch and we will need a significant dry period for conditions to improve. We will update this message as soon as we know anymore...

Today's weather in Leeds

YORKSHIRE SQUAD

Joe Sayers. Jacques Rudolph, Michael Vaughan, Anthony McGrath (capt), Andrew Gale, Gerard Brophy (wk), Tim Bresnan, Rana Naved, David Wainwright, Deon Kruis, Matthew Hoggard, Azeem Rafiq and Ajmal Shahzad. 

SUSSEX SQUAD

EC Joyce, MA Thornely, MH Yardy (capt), MW Goodwin, AJ Hodd, MJ Prior (wk), DR Smith, RSC Martin-Jenkins, OP Rayner, CD Collymore, JD Lewry, RJ Kirtley

MATCH INFORMATION

Hours of Play 

Morning session: 11am to 1pm
Afternoon session: 1.40pm to 3.40pm
Evening session: 4pm to 6pm

In the event of more than 32 overs remaining to be bowled at 3.40pm (3.10pm in matches scheduled to start in September) the tea interval will be delayed and play will continue until 32 overs remain to be bowled at which time the tea interval will commence.

(Timings are brought forward 30 minutes for matches where the first day of the match is scheduled to start in September). On each of the first three days there is provision for playing time to be extended by the amount of time lost in that day up to a maximum of 30 minutes.

Overs in a day 

Play shall continue on each day until the completion of a minimum number of overs or until the scheduled cessation time, whichever is the later. The minimum number of overs to be completed, unless an innings ends or an interruption occurs, shall be:

• 96 overs minimum on days other than the last day
• 80 overs minimum on the last day plus 16 overs in the last hour unless captains agree there is no prospects of a positive result.

Points System 

• 14 points for a win plus bonus points in the first innings
• In a tie, each side to score seven points, plus any bonus points in the first innings
• In a drawn match, each side to score four points, plus any bonus points scored in the first innings. If a match is abandoned without a ball being bowled, each side to score four points
• Batting bonus points, awarded only for performances in the first 120 overs of each first innings and retained whatever the result of the match:
  200 to 249 runs - 1 point
  250 to 299 runs - 2 points
  300 to 349 runs - 3 points
  350 to 399 runs - 4 points
  400 runs or over - 5 points
• Bowling bonus points, awarded only for performances in the first 120 overs of each first innings and retained whatever the result of the match:
  3 to 5 wickets taken - 1 point
  6 to 8 wickets taken - 2 points
  9 to 10 wickets taken - 3 points

The side which has the highest aggregate of points gained at the end of the season shall be the Champion County.