Yorkshire lost two wickets in the first hour after lunch at Scarborough but resolute hitting from Tim Bresnan and a fifty by Gary Ballance then led a recovery which left the home side on 183-4 at tea in their Specsavers County Championship match against Middlesex.

Yorkshire suffered their first setback six overs after the resumption when Alex Lees was caught at second slip by Ollie Rayner off Tim Murtagh for 63 having added just four to his lunchtime score.

Andrew Gale was then lbw to Toby Roland-Jones for seven, thus reducing the home side to 131 for four in the 45th over but Bresnan immediately batted positively and, in partnership with Ballance, gradually repaired the innings against some accurate Middlesex bowling.

By tea, the fifth-wicket stand was worth 52 with Ballance on 50 and Bresnan undefeated on 28. Ballance reached his fifty with a pull to leg off Paul Stirling in the over before tea and he reached that landmark off 121 balls with five fours.