Three stunning individual displays helped Yorkshire recover from a morning-session collapse to reach the verge of a first-innings lead at New Road.

The top order imploded against Worcestershire’s attack but an epic revival in the afternoon changed the game.

Andrew Gale kept calm to lead a stirring fightback with a brilliant hundred as Yorkshire finished the day on 413 for eight after being 108 for five.

The Cleckheaton batsman said: “You’ve just got to take the scoreboard out of the equation and concentrate on the red thing coming down at you.

“I have felt in good nick all year but I’ve just not got that hundred. Thankfully, it came today.”

Gale couldn’t save the Tykes on his own and found Tim Bresnan more than capable of sticking with him as the pair constructed a mammoth stand of 180 to drag the visitors away from the dangers of following on.

“We just decided to try and enjoy it,” added Gale. “We had nothing to lose really and it worked out well.”

Bresnan fell just short of a century for 97 but nothing could deny Gale, whose innings highlight saw him pull Kabir Ali to the fine leg fence three times in a row.

He was out less than five minutes later for 101 when he looked to drive again but succeeded only in chipping the ball charitably to the waiting Matt Mason.

At 334 for eight, Yorkshire were 16 short of an extra bonus point and 66 away from a full allocation but teenage off-spinner Azeem Rafiq stunned New Road with an incredible half-century off just 36 balls with seven fours and three sixes.

Four of them were off consecutive balls to the hapless Chris Whelan, who went for 98 off 19 overs.

Rafiq sent Yorkshire cruising to the 400-mark with cuts, drives and hooks before he brought up his 50 by launching Mason out of the ground over backward point.

Earlier, Michael Vaughan was removed for 43 to signal a collapse of four wickets for 11 runs in 23 balls.

He cut a ball that was too close to his body and scooped to gully before Anthony McGrath was caught off a top edge, Joe Sayers nicked to the slips and Jonathan Bairstow went first ball.