While Michael Lumb had afternoon tea with the Prime Minister, his Hampshire teammates toiled in the Rose Bowl heat – despite winning the toss yet again.

Lumb was one of four players who would have been playing for their counties had David Cameron not invited England’s World Twenty20 winners to 10 Downing Street yesterday.

But while the centrally contracted members of the England squad relaxed ahead of this week’s first Test against Bangladesh at Lord’s, Lumb would surely rather have been with his county teammates.

Ditto James Tredwell, Ravi Bopara and Lumb’s World Twenty20 opening partner Craig Kieswetter, whose absences were all another kick in the teeth for the LV= County Championship.

At least Lumb will be playing at the Rose Bowl today, effectively substititing the unfortunate Liam Dawson.

But Hampshire insist his absence had nothing to do with the surprising decision to bowl first after maintaining their 100 per cent record at the toss.

Yorkshire boast the country’s leading run scorer in 22-year-old left-hander Adam Lyth and he scored an elegant second hundred of the season as the visitors amassed 300 for 3 in sizzling temperatures.

It was not easy work for the Hampshire seamers, who were asked to bowl first because of the encouragement expected from a green Rose Bowl wicket.

"Essentially it’s a good wicket but we felt there might be something in it early on," explained Hampshire manager Giles White, whose side beat Notts on a Trent Bridge track of a similar hue last week.

"Hindsight’s a great thing but we bowled first at Trent Bridge and that worked well for us and this one will still be a good wicket when we bat on it.

"We just didn’t get the ball in the right areas early on, and the bowlers held their hands up.

"They bowled well in the last two sessions but unfortunately we missed our lines and lengths early on.

"Yorkshire played very well, they’ve given us nothing and put us on the back foot, Lyth in particular."

Lyth took 16 off the first over, from James Tomlinson, and put on 195 with the relatively pedestrian Joe Sayers, of which he made 133 before he was caught at long on.

His 206-ball innings included 17 fours and a pulled six against David Balcombe. He was only nine runs short of the career-best 142 he made against Somerset exactly a week earlier when he holed out against Tomlinson.

Once again, Dominic Cork (2 for 50) was the pick of the Hampshire attack.

He claimed two wickets in three overs to provide encouragement at the beginning of the final session.

Joe Sayers faced 177 balls for his 49 and was dropped on 43 by first-slip Jimmy Adams, before being well caught by Neil McKenzie at second. When Cork claimed the big scalp of Rudolph, who edged to Pothas, Yorkshire had slipped from 195-0 to 215-3.

But another of the Tykes’ free-scoring left-handers, captain Andrew Gale (38*), helped Anthony McGrath (55*) add another 85 before the close.