CENTURION Gary Ballance and Jack Brooks revived Yorkshire’s hopes of victory in their season-ending Specsavers County Championship clash with Worcestershire with an incredible record-breaking ninth-wicket stand of 171 after tea on day two.

Former White Rose captain Ballance finished unbeaten on 189 off 213 balls and was the standout in his side’s 417-9 as they responded to 340, including 6-94 for new ball seamer Brooks.

Yorkshire slipped to 232-8 during the early stages of the evening, a deficit of 108.

But Ballance and Brooks attacked against seam and spin during a 27-over alliance, with the latter hitting 82 off 99 balls, including seven fours in his last 12 balls.

Yorkshire scored a stunning 203 after tea.

Worcester started day two on 319-8, with Ben Coad striking in the first over before Brooks claimed his sixth wicket.

Yorkshire then lost three wickets to slip to 83-3 before tea and then four in the afternoon, reaching tea at 214-7.

Fast bowler Josh Tongue impressed with three wickets, all bowled.

Coad struck four balls into the day when he trapped Ben Twohig lbw before Brooks had Dillon Pennington caught behind to wrap up the innings and secure his second best Championship haul for the county in his final appearance.

Ballance, 28, then moved towards his 35th first-class century.

He was particularly strong on the leg-side and reached his fifty off 69 balls during the afternoon and his hundred off 145 balls shortly after tea. His 150 came off 184.

Adam Lyth scored 27 out of Yorkshire’s first 30 runs before being trapped lbw by South African left-arm seamer Wayne Parnell.

Jack Leaning (13) was then bowled by a beauty from Tongue which swung away and clipped the top of off stump as the batsman defended, leaving Yorkshire at 45-2 in the 12th over.

Jeet Raval then dragged Twohig’s left-arm spin on at the start of the afternoon’s final over, the 21st - 83-3.

Twohig had former Worcester team-mate Tom Kohler-Cadmore lbw as he played back to a full ball as the score fell to 117-4 after 29 overs.

Ballance and Jonny Tattersall shared 44 for the fifth wicket to steady for the visitors before tall quick Tongue bowled the latter for 19 and captain Steve Patterson as the score fell to 193-7 after 49.

Sandwiched in between, Pennington had Tim Bresnan caught at second slip.

Debutant James Logan was dropped on nought at short-leg just before tea, meaning he was at the crease when Ballance reached his hundred with his 18th boundary, to wide third-man off Parnell.

Unfortunately for Logan, however, he was trapped lbw by Moeen Ali’s off-spin as the score fell to 232-8 in the 60th.

This was Ballance’s highest score since the 203 he scored in the draw against Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl at the start of last year, and he and Brooks changed the complexion of a keenly fought contest with a blistering late assault.

Ballance reached his 150 with a cut six off Pennington, and the White Rose moved into the lead at 341-8 with nine overs remaining in the day.

Worcester lost their way during the partnership, bowling too short, particularly at Brooks, and going away from what had brought them success earlier in the day.

Yorkshire’s previous best ninth-wicket stand against Worcester was 150 between Matthew Hoggard and Azeem Rafiq here in 2009.

Ali, bowling medium pace, had Brooks caught behind in the penultimate over of the day.