COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE, Edgbaston:
CLOSE OF PLAY, DAY THREE: Yorkshire 600-8dec, Warwicks 422-8(Warwicks 3pts, Yorks 6pts)
6-9 May 2009 (Play begins 1100 BST)

Trott struck 17 fours in his unbeaten 140

Jonathan Trott frustrated Yorkshire's hopes of a first Championship win in 11 months as Warwickshire battled hard to avoid the follow-on at Edgbaston.

Trott hit 140 in a new county ninth-wicket record of 181 with Jeetan Patel (89 no) to leave the Bears needing 29 to avoid having to bat again.

They surpassed the 154 made by George Stephens and Alfred Croom against Derbyshire, also at Edgbaston in 1925.

And that helped Warwickshire close on 422-8, just 178 behind.

The Bears still need to prise out those further 29 runs on the final morning but, assuming they do that then they will have truly reversed the flow of a game which Yorkshire had dictated over the first two days in piling up 600-8 dec.

With Anthony McGrath leading from the front on his return to the captaincy, there were signs that the Tykes could become a competitive unit after dodging relegation in the final fixture of last summer.

But, having backed Warwickshire into a corner, they were unable to deliver the killer blow.

Set 451 to make Yorkshire bat again, Warwickshire quickly slid into trouble as soon as the seamers broke their overnight partnership.

Old Warwickshire ninth-wicket record, G W Stephens/AJW Croom 154, v Derbyshire, Edgbaston, May 1925 New Warwickshire ninth-wicket record, I J L Trott/ J S Patel, 181*, v Yorkshire, Edgbaston, May 2009

Ian Bell was going well on 37 when he dragged a ball from Deon Kruis to wide mid-on and Ian Westwood, in his first championship match since becoming captain, was lbw to Rana Naved-ul-Hasan for 41.

From 90 for two when Bell departed, they nose-dived to 138-6 as Jim Troughton and Tim Ambrose both registered ducks in their first innings since last week's record-breaking fifth-wicket stand of 335 against Hampshire on the same ground.

After being hit on the right thumb by a nasty lifter, Rikki Clarke could not deal with a perfect full-length dipping into his middle and leg stumps.

But it was then that Trott found some worthwhile support in the lower order.

Neil Carter (32) played confidently until unluckily dismissed when he played forward to Adil Rashid and saw the ball trickle back on to his stumps.

And Trott's new England Lions team-mate Chris Woakes (30) also made good progress until beaten by Rashid's googly.

Then came Patel, who helped him break that 84-year-old record - and the outcome of this game is now down to this pair of Bears.

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