Yorkshire are hit by Carberry century (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Yorkshire are hit by Carberry century

7:35pm Thursday 20th September 2007 in Sport By David Warner

Yorkshire today placed themselves in danger of losing four of their last five Championship matches of the season when an unbeaten century from opener, Michael Carberry, put Hampshire firmly in control at Headingley Carnegie.

When bad light brought play to a close with almost 23 overs remaining, Carberry had reached 113 out of 244 for four to give the visitors a first innings lead of 49 following Yorkshire's dismissal in the morning for 195.

Even a miracle cannot now bring the Championship title to Headingley and Yorkshire need to turn the tables on their opponents and beat them if they are not to finish behind them in the final table.

A breezy knock of 25 from 34 balls in the morning from Darren Gough was still insufficient for Yorkshire to manage a solitary batting bonus point, James Bruce adding two wickets to his three of the previous day to finish with five for 73.

Quick wickets were needed to keep Yorkshire in the game and Matthew Hoggard raised hopes by flattening Michael Brown's off stump for nine before returning at the football end after lunch to pin Jimmy Adams lbw to make it 42 for two.

These were Yorkshire's last successes for a while, however, as Carberry and John Crawley settled into a third-wicket stand of 137 in 28 overs.

Carberry completed 1,000 first-class runs for the season when he reached 46 but nine runs later he was put down at first slip by Jacques Rudolph off Deon Kruis.

Both batsmen were in commanding form and scoring freely on either side of the wicket until Tim Bresnan was rewarded for his accuracy by beating Crawley outside off stump to have him caught behind for 57 from 89 deliveries with seven boundaries.

Another wicket fell in the same over to make it 179 for four as Michael Lumb marked his return to his old stamping ground by getting run out without scoring. He drove Bresnan to deep mid-off and went for a single but could not beat Andrew Gale's direct hit on the stumps.

Carberry, partnered by the free-scoring Nic Pothas, made sure Yorkshire did not get on top and in the first over after tea he lashed three consecutive boundaries off Hoggard to sprint to his fifth century of the season off 149 deliveries with 16 fours and a six.

Pothas struck consecutive boundaries off Gough, who was clearly struggling with his sore left shin, and on one occasion the captain fell on his follow through as he attempted to transfer his weight on to his other leg.

Hampshire rejected one offer of bad light but when conditions became even gloomier they called it a day, the unbroken fifth-wicket stand being worth 65 from 13 overs.

• Four members of Yorkshire's Academy are to be given junior professional contracts. They are fast bowlers James Lee and Oliver Hannon-Dalby, off-spinner James Finch and all-rounder Ben Sanderson.