Hoggard has six appeal

Yorkshire can't get the ball out of Matthew Hoggard's hand

Matthew Hoggard's best LV County Championship figures for five years put Yorkshire on course for victory over Hampshire at Headingley Carnegie.

Hoggard, 31, struck with the first ball of the third day and claimed 6-57, his best Yorkshire return since a seven-wicket haul against Somerset on the same ground in 2003, as the visitors were made to follow on.

When bad light halted play 14 overs early, Hampshire had struggled to 136 for four second time around, still 103 runs in arrears.

Hoggard had failed to add to his sextet but Yorkshire are no doubt benefiting from his desire to earn an England recall.

"It is disappointing for Hoggy but we knew when he got left out in New Zealand he would want to come back and prove a point," said stand-in captain Anthony McGrath.

"At the moment you can't get that ball out of his hand, which is great for us.

"He has done a fantastic job for England and as many people have said it was harsh for him to be left out.

"We want him back playing for England but to do that he has got to bowl like he did today - it is a two-fold thing.

"But if we do lose Hoggy we have got the options to cover, so it's a great position to be in."

Yorkshire captain Darren Gough is hoping to return from a back injury in a Friends Provident Trophy contest against Derbyshire on Sunday, the same day that South Africa pace bowler Morne Morkel, the club's overseas signing, arrives.

"The championship boils down to who has got the best bowling attack," said McGrath.

"I know people talk about runs on the board but you just have to look at Sussex. Take Rana (Naved-ul-Hasan) and Mushtaq Ahmed's wickets out and it would be a different story,

"The more bowlers we have available, the more options we have, the better."

The 14 wickets have been shared between six individuals so far and Yorkshire's bowlers have made a habit of striking in their first overs.

"Sometimes that is how it goes," said McGrath, who was successful with his fifth ball in picking up 2-22. "But bowling in partnerships was the key for us.

"The pressure more than anything, or perhaps batsmen have relaxed with the change and that lapse in concentration has given us that wicket."