By David Green at Gloucester
First day of four: Yorks (16-1) trail Gloucs (329) by 313 runs
CRAIG WHITE took a hat-trick on the way to career-best figures of eight for 55 to keep Gloucestershire within sight on a see-saw day at Archdeacon Meadow.
Gloucestershire's top-order batsmen steered their side to the relative rude health of 196 for three before White produced a burst of burst of five for one in 10 balls to reduce them to 199 for eight. But a century stand between Jack Russell and Mike Smith enabled Gloucestershire to claim a third bonus point.
Smith fairly threw the bat, particularly at Matthew Hoggard, his 61 coming off 65 balls with 14 fours. Russell, unbeaten on 63, was less headlong but still hit eight fours off 101 balls.
Earlier Gregor Macmillan, formerly of Oxford University and Leicestershire, hit a dazzling 53. He was signed only last week by Gloucestershire and responded with a destructive display in which Yorkshire's promising left-armer Paul Hutchison was heavily punished.
Macmillan, who more than once advanced to meet the new ball, hit Hutchison over midwicket and hooked him finer for sixes and also struck nine fours off 39 balls before becoming White's first victim.
Tim Hancock made 49, with 44 coming from Tony Wright, who became White's second scalp when beaten for pace by one that nipped back into him.
Gloucestershire, who won the toss, then came under pressure from White who, in the sixth over of the second spell, clipped Matt Windows's off stump as he shouldered arms and two balls later had Matt Church lbw.
In his next over White, bowling fast and to a full length, yorked Mark Alleyne, had Martyn Ball lbw and completed his hat-trick by bowling Jon Lewis.
Day 2: Fragile Yorkshire are ripped open
By David Green at Gloucester
Second day of four: Gloucs (329 & 158-4) lead Yorks (143) by 344 runs
A GAME which had seemed evenly balanced at the end of the first day shifted mark- edly Gloucestershire's way at Archdeacon Meadow yesterday as they dismissed Yorkshire for 143 by mid-afternoon and then built on their advantage.
The wickets were shared as Yorkshire were bustled out in 62.4 overs but Courtney Walsh, three for 30, and Mike Smith, two for 15, bowled particularly well, after which half-centuries from Mark Alleyne and Tony Wright turned the screw.
Gloucestershire, leading by 186, could have enforced the follow-on but had no hesitation, said coach John Bracewell, in batting again, for with the pitch becoming increasingly uneven they were keen that Yorkshire should have to bat last.
Yorkshire, 16 for one overnight, were saved from a worse fate by the gritty display of nightwatchman Paul Hutchison, who batted through their innings for 23 not out, facing 150 balls in 3.75 hours.
Apart from Hutchison, only Darren Lehmann, whose 41 off only 35 balls included eight fours, showed much steel. Yorkshire's previous first innings, in a defeat at Northampton, yielded only 148 runs and the fragile batting is beginning to cause concern.
Gloucestershire's second innings began badly, Gregor Macmillan holing out off Hutchison at square leg in the first over after three fierce air-shots, and Tim Hancock thin-edging to the wicketkeeper to give Matthew Hoggard his first championship wicket.
Alleyne, whose 83-ball 55 contained six fours, and Wright, with 57 off 116 balls with nine fours and a six, then put on 114.
Day 3: Windows closes out Yorkshire
By Christopher Lyles at Gloucester
Third day of four: Gloucestershire v Yorkshire
WHEN Gloucestershire scrutinise the fixture list at the outset of the season it would not be a surprise if they collectively genuflect and put their hands together in the hope that their championship match against Yorkshire will not be adversely affected by the weather.
Gloucestershire have triumphed on the last four occasions and all four victories have been by thumping margins: 324 runs, nine wickets, 10 wickets and, last year, by 164 runs. Indeed, the 324-run defeat at Cheltenham in 1994 was Yorkshire's heaviest defeat in terms of runs.
This season's fixture is proving a little different and Gloucestershire took an unyielding grip on the match after struggling at 199 for eight in the first innings.
A ninth-wicket stand of 114 between the enigmatic Jack Russell and the Yorkshire-born seamer Mike Smith enabled the home side to reach the sanctuary of 329 and they then declined to enforce the follow-on after bowling Yorkshire out cheaply on a pitch that was beginning to show signs of variable bounce.
Gloucestershire yesterday extended their overnight lead of 344 at will as they pushed the ones and twos and waited for the bad ball, which was unerringly dispatched to the boundary, as the Yorkshire bowlers conceded 129 runs from 36 overs in the morning session.
Leading the way for Gloucestershire was Matt Windows, the compact right-hander who experienced a thin time of things last year. He was unperturbed by the worsening bounce, which saw a couple of deliveries go through to Richard Blakey at ankle height and also accounted for the dismissal of Matthew Church at gully as Matthew Hoggard found some extra lift.
Windows has an excellent eye for the ball, which should not be surprising given that he is one of the world's leading rackets players, and his cutting was especially proficient. He visibly grew in confidence as his innings went on and he thoroughly deserved his third first-class century, which he reached minutes after lunch. He faced 155 deliveries and hit 15 boundaries.
Gloucestershire's captain, Mark Alleyne, immediately declared and set Yorkshire a highly improbable victory target of 515 - 184 more than they have ever scored to win in the fourth innings and all this on a difficult pitch against Courtney Walsh and Mike Smith.
Yorkshire began shakily, losing Vaughan half forward to Smith with the score on 18, and worse followed when David Byas was needlessly run out for 15 by Smith's direct hit. When Anthony McGrath edged Smith to Russell, Yorkshire had reached crisis point at 56 for three.
Day 4: Yorkshire humbled by Ball
By David Green at Gloucester
Gloucs (329 & 328-8 dec) bt Yorks (143 & 214) by 300 runs
YORKSHIRE, who began the day on 136 for five and needing a massive 379 more for victory, lost their last five wickets, three of them to off-spinner Martyn Ball, in 105 minutes at Archdeacon Meadow yesterday.
This was a hugely impressive performance by the home side, who, having for most of their history suffered horribly at Yorkshire's hands, have begun to fight back, and this was Yorkshire's fourth heavy defeat in succession on Gloucestershire soil.
Bonuses for Gloucestershire were the first-innings batting of Gregor Macmillan, Jack Russell and Mike Smith and Matt Windows's fluent second-innings century, while their new-ball pairing of Courtney Walsh and Smith made crucial early inroads in both innings.
Yorkshire, having begun with two championship wins, have now lost their next two games. They missed Darren Gough and Chris Silverwood here, but they will be rather more concerned about their first-innings batting, which also failed in their defeat at Northampton.
Yesterday, Matthew Wood and Richard Blakey batted solidly for over an hour and had added 60 together when Wood clipped Smith to square leg. Blakey followed shortly afterwards, caught at the fourth attempt by short-leg Windows off bat and pad.
Blakey's dismissal marked the end of Yorkshire's resistance, their last three wickets falling in three overs. Gavin Hamilton chipped to short extra, Richard Stemp played on to Walsh, and finally Ball had Matthew Hoggard lbw to finish with figures of four for 72.