JACK BROOKS led a superb Yorkshire fightback with a season’s best 5-53 to underpin a Hampshire collapse on day two at the Ageas Bowl today.

Brooks has enjoyed a memorable Specsavers County Championship fixture with both bat and ball.

After scoring 34 not out as the champions posted 281 on day two, he helped demolish the home lower order in his 17.2 overs.

The new ball seamer claimed four of six wickets to fall for just 23 runs either side of tea as Hampshire slipped from 199-4 to 222 all out.

Adam Lyth’s unbeaten 36 was then the feature of Yorkshire’s second-innings 69-1, and they now lead by 128 at the halfway stage.

Hampshire had looked in a healthy state during the latter stages of the afternoon, with James Vince making 60 and Sean Ervine unbeaten on 80.

The pair had shared a counter-attacking partnership of 107 to advance from 38-3 just before lunch before England’s Vince edged Tim Bresnan to second slip.

Vince has endured a wretched summer for club and country, and this was his first first-class 50 since his mid-April hundred against Yorkshire in the draw at Headingley.

Despite his departure, Hampshire were still in good order with experienced Zimbabwean Ervine chasing a third successive Championship 100.

But he fell, caught behind off Ryan Sidebottom, to spark the collapse as Brooks had wicketkeeper Lewis McManus caught at mid-wicket, Gareth Berg caught behind and Brad Wheal and Andy Carter both bowled.

"We knew if we could get the top four or five, they'd have the potential to collapse with three tail-enders, a genuine all-rounder batting at six in McLaren and a young and inexperienced keeper,” said Brooks, who made the breakthrough before lunch by trapping Will Smith lbw.

“At times, we were a little bit too full or wide, but when we got it in good areas, we looked like we'd get wickets.

“I wasn't actually bowling that well.

“I started well with the new ball, but I had a couple of spells where I went for eight to ten an over and didn't know what I was doing.

“But it's usually like that with me. I can come back and claim a couple of wickets.

“We know what we're doing as a bowling attack. If we put it in the right areas for long enough, we'll get rewards. All the lads bowled well. Hopefully we can bat well now.”

Sidebottom finished with 3-45 from his 19 overs. Yorkshire lost Alex Lees before close, bowled by Brad Wheal, on a day which started with them trying to add to their first-innings 275-9.

Brooks and Sidebottom advanced a last-wicket partnership to 47, with the former adding to last week’s crucial 48 in the first innings against Nottinghamshire at Scarborough.

"I'm in a rich vein of form!” he added. “I've got a simple game plan and try to stick to it. I block the straight ones, get out of the way of the short ones and swing hard at everything else.

“It's going to come off every now and again, but it doesn't make me a top-order batsman.

"Siddy and Patto (Steve Patterson) put on 50 for the last wicket against Warwickshire recently and we won by 50. So it can be valuable.”