Yorkshire’s Alex Lees produced an early-season batting masterclass at Wantage Road this morning, scoring a century in only 91 balls to send Gary Ballance’s side into lunch on 147-2.

That was after Northants had declared on their overnight 283-5. Lees, who celebrates his 21st birthday in five days’ time, hit 16 fours and pulled Steven Crook for a savage six as Yorkshire’s batsmen made hay against injury-hit Northants’ six-man attack in this three-day friendly.

The first wicket to fall was that of Adam Lyth, who edged Olly Stone to wicket keeper David Murphy when he had made 30 and had put on 103 with Lees. Kane Williamson partnered the precociously-talented opener in adding a further 40 before he edged off-spinner James Middlebrook to Andrew Hall when he had made 11.

That brought Ballance to the wicket and Yorkshire’s skipper in this game was two not out at the end of the first session. But it was still Lees’s morning, one in which the young batsman again justified many of the predictions that have been made about his future career-path