THIS time last week Nic Pothas had scored two Hampshire hundreds in 31 first class matches.

Yesterday he scored his second championship ton in six days.

His unbeaten 131 against Derbyshire at the Rose Bowl last week was followed up with 100 in the first innings of the biggest match of Hampshire's season so far.

It rescued Shane Warne-less Hampshire, who had subsided to 97 for four when Pothas arrived at the crease for the beginning of the second session, after Lawrence Prittipaul had nicked the last ball before lunch.

But when Pothas - who walked to the crease top of the Hampshire championship averages with 65.00 - was caught low down at mid off by Matthew Hoggard nearly four hours later, Hampshire were in command.

Yorkshire will rue FIVE dropped catches, but only one of those was off Pothas' bat.

Hampshire's wicketkeeper offered a half chance, off the bowling of Craig White, to his opposite number Simon Guy when he had scored 71, but his fourth championship ton for the county will be remembered for two glorious sixes over cover.

The first of his maximum hits, off Australian Ian Harvey, was struck over the shorter of the two boundaries.

But the next one was launched over the longest, off Anthony McGrath, and provided another psychological blow for a Hampshire side that arrived at Headingley on top of the Second Division table.

Yorkshire skipper Craig White had won the toss and inserted Hampshire on a wicket thatoffered assistance to the home side's seam attack. But a poor display in the field allowed the visitors to capitalise.

Will Kendall was one of those to benefit. The stand-in skipper played a captain's innings in scoring his first championship half century for a year, but was dropped by debutant Phil Jaques after edging Hoggard to third slip.

Kendall reached his fifty with his eighth boundary, a clip through mid wicket, but edged John Blain's next ball to Matthew Wood at second slip.

Yorkshire's next drop was even more costly.

Dimitri Mascarenhas was on 0 when he was shelled by Harvey at second slip after slashing at Chris Silverwood.

The ball went for the first of Mascarenhas' 11 fours, the last of which came via another Yorkshire drop.

This time Silverwood only succeeded in palming the ball towards the rope after getting a hand to a lofted drive at deep mid on.

Mascarenhas was not so lucky with Richard Dawson's next ball, which was caught by Guy via the thinnest of edges, but his early let off allowed him to put on a vital 80 runs in 20 overs with Pothas for the sixth wicket.

However, Yorkshire's biggest clanger was still to come.

Shaun Udal had made 8 when a leading edge off the bowling of McGrath handed what should have been a straightforward catch for Hoggard at mid off.

Hoggard called for it but for some reason McGrath went for it - and ended up in a heap.

The biggest disappointment from Hampshire's point of view was the dismissal of Australian Michael Clarke.

The 23-year-old, desperate for a large score after a poor run, shouldered arms to Blain, only to see the ball nip back and hit his off stump.

And Yorkshire closed on 40-1 after getting their reply off to a flier.

Alan Mullally was struck for three successive boundaries by Wood.

But Chris Tremlett ensured it was Hampshire's day when he had Craig White caught by Clarke, who was fielding at second slip in place of Warne, with the last ball.