THE security guard under aisle J of the West Stand spoke for many spectators when he nodded off shortly after 5.30pm. Hampshire were plodding along at less than three an over and Yorkshire’s bowlers did not look likely to disturb their progress. Instructions came through for the security guard to be roused from his slumber and, coincidentally, the game burst back into life shortly afterwards.

Tim Bresnan, the 21-year-old Yorkshire all-rounder, provided the wake-up call with a spell of three for three in 17 balls. This followed his fine innings of 91 that had dragged Yorkshire from 205 for eight to 350 all out in the morning. Bresnan had looked devastated when he was trapped leg-before by Shane Warne’s top-spinner, denying him the chance of a maiden first-class hundred. By the end of the day, he was wearing a very different expression.

First, Bresnan had Nic Pothas brilliantly caught at slip by Matthew Wood, diving low to his left and clinging on one-handed. Two overs later, Bresnan exacted his revenge on Warne. He knocked him off his feet with a yorker first ball, then had him caught at slip from a rash pull to his second. In five first-class innings at Headingley, Warne has yet to score a run. With the word “duck” flashing up on the scoreboard, a spectator asked the Hampshire captain how many runs he had made. “Can’t you f***ing read?” Warne asked, not unreasonably.

Continuing his burst, Bresnan produced another yorker two balls later that uprooted Richard Logan’s middle stump and, from 188 for two, Hampshire had tumbled to 227 for eight in the space of 13 overs. After earlier half-centuries from Michael Carberry and John Crawley, only Dominic Thornely had stood firm, remaining unbeaten on 74.

In the morning, Bresnan had extended his ninth-wicket stand with Jason Gillespie to 144, a record for Yorkshire against Hampshire. Bresnan fell in the nineties for the second time this season after making 94 for MCC against Nottinghamshire at Lord’s.

Michael Vaughan was able to pass most of the day quietly resting his knee at mid-on or third man. When he found himself unexpectedly in the covers, he stayed there for only one ball before asking to swap with third man. He moved uncomfortably in the field and limped when he chased a ball to the boundary in the afternoon, but the official line is that he has not suffered any adverse reaction in the first four-day match of his comeback.