Yorkshire are top of the LV County Championship table by one point over Nottinghamshire - but they could not celebrate that feat courtesy of a win against Lancashire at Old Trafford today.

The White Rose dominated the old enemy for three of the four days - but were held up on the last by Steven Croft’s determined 85 not out off 174 balls. Lancashire, chasing 305 to win in two enthralling sessions, finished on 192-7 from 63.4 overs, and salvaged a draw.

Three wickets each for paceman Tino Best, above, and leg-spinner Adil Rashid were Yorkshire's headline acts on a murky day in Manchester, but their teammates were frustrated by a fourth-wicket partnership of 49 in 18 overs between Croft and Mark Chilton, 23.

Croft and Chilton took up some valuable time - as did two rain stoppages after tea. Best claimed Stephen Moore, Simon Katich and Paul Horton in a hostile burst to leave the hosts on 42-3 in the ninth over after Jacques Rudolph had declared Yorkshire's second innings at lunch on 215-7. Best yorked Moore in the first over, had Katich caught in the slips and trapped Horton lbw.

Croft, Lancashire’s form batsman of their Championship campaign, and Chilton stayed together through the middle of the afternoon to halt Yorkshire’s progress, but Steven Patterson trapped Chilton lbw before tea.

Rashid had Tom Smith caught behind for 11 and Luke Sutton caught at forward-short-leg by Jonny Bairstow for a duck after a break for rain in the closing session. The dogged Croft finished with 13 boundaries as Yorkshire crowded the bat with Rashid and Azeem Rafiq bowling in tandem for the last hour.

Simon Kerrigan earlier finished with 4-77 from 24 overs in Yorkshire’s second innings - picking up Anthony McGrath, Richard Pyrah and Best: McGrath was lbw for 57, Pyrah bowled and Best stumped by Sutton. Darren Powell had Gerard Brophy caught at short-extra-cover by Smith, but Rashid was 42 not out at the declaration.

Yorkshire have 10 more points in the bank as they set off for Northamptonshire and tomorrow’s Friends Provident Twenty20 clash at Wantage Road.

GRAHAM HARDCASTLE

DAY 3: A frustrating ninth-wicket partnership of 121 between Lancashire's Kyle Hogg and Luke Sutton means that Yorkshire will have to do something special on the last day to win their LV Championship Roses match at Old Trafford.

The stand ensured that the Red Rose would not have to follow on - despite needing an improbable 111 with only four wickets left at the start of Day 3.

Leg-spinner Adil Rashid finished with five wickets when Lancashire were out at last for a first-innings 358 in reply to Yorkshire’s 447. Yorkshire’s second innings began only nine overs before the tea interval, and they struggled to gain any real momentum in the final session though Anthony McGrath reached 50 not out by the close. Anthony helped his side to 111-3 from 41 overs - and they start this morning with a lead of 200.

Yorkshire made the ideal start to Day 3 when Tino Best caught and bowled left-hander Tom Smith off an inside edge as he looked to drive, making the hosts 194-7 in the 69th over. Glen Chapple hit a brisk 21, but fell trying to punt Azeem Rafiq - who picked up four wickets - over the top once too often to  find Steven Patterson backpedalling from mid-off.

With Lancashire at 235-8 Hogg and Sutton came together. Hogg was more aggressive than the wicket-keeper, but the former Derbyshire man’s display was just as important. Sutton was stranded on 47 not out off 154 balls when Rashid bagged Hogg and Darren Powell within four balls in the 122nd over. Hogg, who has played in the Huddersfield League, cracked 11 boundaries on the way to a career-best 88 off 140 balls before he slapped Rashid to Richard Pyrah at cover. Powell diverted Rashid to Adam Lyth at short-leg moments later.

Yorkshire failed to enforce the follow-on, and had to settle for a lead of 89, but it at least gave Lyth the chance to become the first to reach 1,000 Championship runs this summer: the left-hander looked on course as he moved slowly into the 20s...but having seen skipper Jacques Rudolph caught behind by a speedy Powell delivery he provided Hogg with the second Yorkshire wicket when he found Stephen Moore at deep-square-leg for 29.

McGrath hit six fours in his second 50 of the match  - it was the ninth time he has passed 50 this summer - but he saw Jonny Bairstow depart cutting left-arm spinner Simon Kerrigan to Smith at point to make Yorkshire 97-3 in the 32nd. McGrath and wicket-keeper Gerard Brophy will continue Yorkshire's second innings tomorrow morning.

GRAHAM HARDCASTLE

DAY 2: Yorkshire have the sniff of an impressive LV Championship Roses victory after Lancashire closed Day 2 at Old Trafford on 187-6 in reply to Yorkshire's first-innings 447. Spinners Adil Rashid and Azeem Rafiq, above, have three wickets each.

Leg-spinner Rashid and off-spinner Rafiq, 19, snipped their way down the Red Rose after Yorkshire's last two wickets had added 68 to the overnight total and kept Lancashire in the field until after lunch. Rashid came in with 3-44 from 21 overs and Rafiq 3-35 from 14.

The home side, on a pitch that is starting to take turn, are 260 runs behind - still needing  111 to avoid the follow-on on Day 3. Paul Horton and Stephen Moore shared their county’s highest opening partnership of the four-day campaign - 94 inside 28 overs - but Moore was the first to go when he when he drove a return catch to Rashid for 40.

Horton passed 50 for the fifth time in nine four-day innings against Yorkshire after tea off 95 balls. The 27-year-old hit hit eight fours in 63 off 133 balls before he was trapped lbw by Rashid to leave the score at 131-2 in the 44th over.

Australian Simon Katich, who played one four-day match as Darren Lehmann’s replacement for Yorkshire in 2002, came in at No. 3 - but he saw Mark Chilton edge Rashid to stand-in skipper Jacques Rudolph at slip to leave the hosts on 143-3 six overs later. Rashid took a break after 19 overs on the reel.

Rafiq was starting to cause problems: Steven Croft thumped him for a straight six - but  the in-form all-rounder perished two balls later trying to cut a ball that spun into him. Rudolph anticipated well at slip, catching the ball moving to his right, and Lancashire were 169-4 in the 58th. Left-handed Katich was the fifth wicket to fall for 32 when he edged Rafiq to Adam Lyth at short leg in the 62nd, and Rafiq bowled nightwatchman Simon Kerrigan for a duck.

Tom Smith, 15 not out, and wicket-keeper Luke Sutton are the men charged with dragging Lancashire out of their hole tomorrow morning.

Yorkshire's earlier batting heroics saw 68 runs added for the last two wickets in 32 overs.They comfortably clinched the maximum of five batting-bonus points - but they also prevented the Red Rose from adding a third bowling point. Richard Pyrah hit 32 and Steven Patterson 27, and the pair added 45 for the ninth wicket.

 DAY ONE REPORT

Another century from in-form opener Adam Lyth just about kept Yorkshire on top after Day 1 of their LV County Championship Roses match at Old Trafford. Yorkshire resume their first innings today on 379-8.

Lyth, the LV Division 1’s leading run-scorer with 953, rattled up his third century of the four-day summer as Lancashire struggled in the first half of the day. The Whitby-born left-hander, 22, scored 100 off 122 balls with 17 boundaries - but was out two balls later to Tom Smith.

Yorkshire closed the day on 379-8 from 96 overs. Captain for the week Jacques Rudolph finished with 83 off 153 balls, Anthony McGrath 61 off 136 and Jonny Bairstow 47 later in the day...but Yorkshire’s dressing room will regret that things are not far better - they lost six wickets for 74 runs in the evening session to slump from 299-2 to 373-8.

Four wickets went to captain Glen Chapple for 12 runs in 26 balls, and he finished with an impressive 4-60 from 23 overs. Smith and Daren Powell also claimed two wickets apiece.

Yorkshire built their day around an opening partnership of 166 inside 42 overs between Lyth and Rudolph. Already without captain Andrew Gale due to England Lions commitments, Director of Cricket Martyn Moxon and company were dealt another blow when Joe Sayers was ruled out after suffering an asthma attack before play.

It forced Rudolph, who won the toss and elected to bat, to open the innings, and Yorkshire selected off-spinner Azeem Rafiq alongside Adil Rashid in place of Sayers. Rudolph was more circumspect on a pitch that is expected to take more and more turn as the game progresses, but just as dominant as his partner.

Lyth raced to 50 for the ninth time this season off 47 balls, timing the ball with noticeable ease. The pace of his knock allowed Rudolph to settle, and he only reached his half century early in the afternoon off 94 balls. Rudolph hit 13 fours, but his was the second wicket to fall when he edged a lifting delivery from Powell to Smith at second slip in the 53rd over.

McGrath, who reached his 50 off 90 balls, and Bairstow, playing just as a batsman, then shared 79 for the third wicket in 21 overs. Bairstow fell for 47 with a leading edge to Simon Katich at short cover off Smith, and Yorkshire were 299-3 in the 74th. A collapse had started.

Powell forced McGrath to chop on before evergreen Chapple clicked into gear superbly: he trapped Gerard Brophy, 35, lbw, and got rid of Rashid thanks to a brilliant one-handed catch by Steven Croft at point. Chapple had Rafiq caught behind, and caught and bowled Tino Best off a skied leading edge.

Yorkshire need 21 runs in 14 overs for the fifth batting bonus point.

GRAHAM HARDCASTLE