Vaughan has not had the best of starts to the season

Yorkshire were indebted to Andrew Gale after Michael Vaughan failed again on the opening day against Hampshire.

The England captain has made a poor start to the season and after cracking three boundaries off Shane Bond he edged the Kiwi seamer to third slip.

A partnership of 109 between Jacques Rudolph (59) and Gale rescued Yorkshire after Dimi Mascarenhas took two wickets to leave them 54-3 in the afternoon.

Gale was still there on 99 as the hosts closed on a healthy enough 270-6.

But Vaughan, who managed only two in as many innings against Leeds/Bradford UCCE last week, will be concerned about failing to get among the runs again with the first Test against New Zealand just over three weeks away.

"He looked fantastic so it was a shame he couldn't go on," said Yorkshire director of cricket Martyn Moxon.

"The pleasing thing from his point of view was that he looked in good shape, his balance looked good and his footwork looked sharp.

"He's been working really hard in the nets and hopefully he'll get some more time in the middle in the second innings."

Vaughan was the sole loss in a rain-shortened morning but Mascarenhas nibbled the ball around to remove Joe Sayers, who played on, and Anthony McGrath, caught by Michael Brown at short-leg.

Rudolph and Gale were quick to punish any error in length or line until the former edged the final ball of the middle session low to slip off spinner Greg Lamb.

Adil Rashid succumbed to Bond's pace when he edged behind for 15 and keeper Gerard Brophy contributed a breezy 40 in a 66-run stand with Gale before playing around a full one from Chris Tremlett in the day's penultimate over.

Gale was a cut above his colleagues, however, and as batting became easier in the afternoon sunshine, he showed his liking for the pull shot.

It might have cost him a second Championship hundred when, on 96, a delivery from Tremlett with the second new ball hit the splice and looped back towards the bowler, who got his fingers between ball and turf but could not hold on.