County Championship, day one: Yorkshire are 315-7 after 96 overs

HAMPSHIRE star Dale Steyn took four wickets – the South Africa legend’s best first-class haul for nearly two years – but Yorkshire still had the better of the first day of the Specsavers County Championship day-nighter at The Ageas Bowl.

Former England star Gary Ballance’s first century of the season ensured Yorkshire dominated against the pink ball after the visitors had been reduced to 21-3 at the beginning of the 11th over.

Fidel Edwards made the first breakthrough with an inswinging yorker that trapped the left-handed Alex Lees lbw on the back foot.

Steyn then removed India Che Pujara, an adversary in his last Test appearance, with a spectacular uprooting of middle and off stumps.

Then Gareth Berg found Adam Lyth’s outside edge with a beauty angled across the left-hander. It was caught by Tom Alsop, who has replaced Lewis McManus behind the stumps (Rilee Rossow was left out after being struck in the face in Monday’s One-day cup semi-final win, but is expected to be fit for the final).

Ballance took 23 balls to get off the mark, but shared a fourth-wicket stand of 164 with Harry Brook to put Yorkshire in firm control after choosing to bat first.

The left-hander brought up his fifty from 99 deliveries with a hooked six against Fidel Edwards.

The 15th of his 16 fours, a classy drive behind point, brought up his century from 171 deliveries.

Former England Under-19s captain Brook ‘s 79 (115 balls, 12 fours) included a straight six down the ground on-loan spinner Ollie Rayner, Hampshire’s debutant, before Steyn broke the partnership.

The Proteas legend beat Brook for pace, pinning him lbw as he shuffled half forward.

Ballance continued to frustrate on his way to his fourth century in five Championship innings against Hampshire (he has 595 runs in his last three matches against Hampshire, including 420 in his last three Ageas Bowl innings).

But after adding a further 71 in 20 overs with Jack Leaning, he was out in bizarre fashion.

Bowling from round the wicket, Steyn delivered a short ball that Ballance struggled to pick up, before nonchalantly flicking it to mid-wicket.

Debutant Jonathan Tattersall guided a back-of-a-length delivery to second slip in Steyn’s next over.

Leaning, dropped on 29 at first slip by Vince to deny Steyn a five-fer, added another ten before playing on against Edwards soon after the new ball was taken.

But Yorkshire will be the happier of the two sides, who were watched by a crowd of only 850, comfortably the Ageas Bowl's lowest of the season.