Yorkshire were unable to force a victory over Hampshire despite dynamic bowling by Tim Bresnan and Ryan Sidebottom on a tense final day of their LV=County Championship match at Headingley.
Hampshire were twice in big trouble, at 7-4 and later on 130-8, but Kabir Ali and Danny Briggs survived the final 13.4 overs to claim the draw.
The visitors had been set a target of 289 to win off 59 overs but were happy to close on 153-8, leaving Yorkshire still searching for their first home Champion-ship win of the season.
Fears that Yorkshire had batted too long before declaring six overs into the afternoon session on 165-8 appeared unfounded as Bresnan took three wickets and Sidebottom one in the space of 14 balls at a cost of just one run.
Openers Jimmy Adams and Liam Dawson had scraped together six runs by the eighth over when Bresnan sent both packing in three deliveries, Dawson falling lbw and Adams departing to a great catch at the second attempt by Joe Root at short leg.
Johann Myburgh was lbw to the first ball of the next over from Sidebottom and the slump continued as Neil McKenzie was also lbw driving at Bresnan.
A double bowling change brought on Steve Patterson and Ajmal Shahzad – Bresnan resting with figures of 5-3-2-3 – and Patterson kept up the pressure by having James Vince caught low down at second slip by Adil Rashid and bowling Nic Pothas off-stump.
Hampshire were 54-6 but captain Dominic Cork was not prepared to give in easily after capturing eight wickets in the match and he soon notched the eight runs he required to complete 10,000 in first class cricket.
There was plenty of fight left in Sean Ervine and the pair had added 73 in 19 overs when Cork was dismissed lbw by Rashid for 22. Three runs later, the leg-spinner bagged the crucial wicket of Ervine, who drove gently to captain Andrew Gale at mid-off.
However, amid mounting tension, Kabir and Briggs managed to whittle down the overs and hold on for a draw.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here