YORKSHIRE’S batsmen have work to do if they are to secure a Specsavers County Championship draw against Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl after a mixed third day.

Faced with a 93-run deficit and 36 overs to bat in their second innings before close, the White Rose lost openers Adam Lyth and Alex Lees on the way to 91-2.

Hampshire, replying to a first-innings 350, were bowled out for 443 as Jimmy Adams completed a determined 147 and Gareth Berg made 84 not out on a pitch still good for batting.

Jack Brooks finished with 5-124 from 30.4 overs, while captain Steve Patterson was the pick of the bowlers with 3-67 from 32.

After a difficult start to 2018, it was good to see opener Lees encourage for 39 under the floodlights against the new pink Kookaburra ball after tea, sent down by current and former international duo Dale Steyn and Fidel Edwards.

Lees hit the latter for a quartet of boundaries in the second over of Yorkshire’s second innings, with one beautifully timed cover drive standing out. Unfortunately, he was unable to go on as off-spinner Ollie Rayner removed Lyth and then himself in his first four overs midway through the evening.

Lyth was struck on the helmet as he ducked into a bouncer from Steyn which didn't get up as high as the left-hander expected early in his innings. But he shook off the blow, although fell for 17.

Yorkshire had much the better of the morning.

They started well with the ball as Hampshire advanced from 245-3 to 311-7 at lunch and were in danger of not taking a lead.

They lost Tom Alsop for 63, Adams, Ian Holland for 31 and Rayner for a duck, two of them going to Brooks and the other two to Tim Bresnan and Patterson.

The Bresnan delivery which got Adams, leaving the score at 286-5 in the 19th over of the day, rose sharply from short of a length and Adams could do nothing else but fend it behind to Jonny Tattersall, who took four catches in all on debut.

Unfortunately for Yorkshire, the afternoon session proved frustrating as Berg led his side to a lead nearing three figures, sharing half-century stands for the eighth and ninth wickets with South African seamers Kyle Abbott and Steyn.

He shared 74 with Abbott, who made 35, and 58 with Steyn (23).

Brooks, who earlier trapped Alsop lbw and had Holland caught behind, wrapped up the innings shortly before tea when he had Edwards caught behind to leave Berg 16 short of his first Hampshire century.

Since posting 102 in a draw with Surrey at the Oval midway through last September, Lees had not gone beyond 11 in nine Championship innings.

After taking his quartet of boundaries off ex-West Indies quick Edwards, an increase in confidence was clear to see in the 25-year-old.

But Lyth feathered Rayner behind, leaving the score at 49-1 in the 19th over, before Lees was trapped lbw as the score fell to 58-2 in the 22nd.

Thankfully, Gary Ballance and Che Pujara were able to navigate the final 45 minutes of play and put the visitors within touching distance of parity. Ballance will begin day four on 18 and Pujara 14.