Butcher timed the ball so well Photos: Action from Leeds Verdict: Jonathan Agnew Quotes: Butcher on light offer

After another day of see-sawing fortunes in this intriguing Test series, England hold a slight advantage.

But they could have been in better shape had it not been for an untimely break for bad light.

Marcus Trescothick and Mark Butcher were both dismissed by Jacques Kallis in a tricky 40-minute session between two stoppages for bad light, the second of which proved terminal.

Between them, they had hit nine boundaries in 40 minutes after tea, with the cut shot a particularly brutal weapon for both men.

But Kallis found plenty of swing when the players came back out after the first break. He had Trescothick caught and bowled for 59 and Butcher picked up by the wicket-keeper after hitting a fine 77.

Despite the loss of the two batsmen, who put on 142 for the second wicket, England have closed to within 145 runs of South Africa's score.

Earlier, the home side lost captain Michael Vaughan for 15 in fairly unfortunate circumstances to be 27-1 early on in the second session.

Makhaya Ntini struck when Vaughan propped forward to play a defensive shot only for the ball to trickle off the face of his bat onto the leg stump.

Shortly after that, debutant Monde Zondeki was forced out of the attack with a side strain in only his second over of Test cricket.

Kirsten's innings was a seven-hour model of patience

He was replaced by Kallis, who beat Trescothick three times in one over.

Trescothick recovered his composure to pull the all-rounder for four after Butcher had played some fine shots off Dewald Pretorius.

The day began with South Africa adding 82 runs to their overnight score of 260-7 with Gary Kirsten ninth man out for 130.

At the day's start, Kirsten and Zondeki's eighth-wicket partnership was eventually ended once it had realised an astonishing 150 runs.

It was the best eighth-wicket stand by any South African pair and the best for that wicket on the famous Leeds ground.

Finally, Zondeki was a fraction late on an attempted drive off James Anderson which he could only edge to Butcher at gully.

By then, the Test debutant had hit 59, making a mockery of his first-class average of 9.50.

Kirsten felt compelled to go for his runs at this point, and having moved to 130 he attempted to a lofted drive off Kabir Ali.

But the shot was mistimed and resulted in the easiest of catches to Bicknell at mid-on.

Even the last-wicket pair of Ntini and Pretorius defied England to add 26 for the final wicket.

Ntini notched a Test-best 32 before he was dismissed by James Kirtley.

England: MP Vaughan (capt), ME Trescothick, MA Butcher, N Hussain, ET Smith, AJ Stewart (wkt), A Flintoff, JM Anderson, RJ Kirtley, Kabir Ali, M Bicknell.