Yorkshire have scored 122 for two in reply to Warwickshire's 201 all out

Warwickshire have endured some poor days this season. Some very poor ones, in fact. But yesterday's offering at Scarborough just about topped - or should that be bottomed - the lot.

Against a Yorkshire side in the relegation zone and with only one win all season, the Bears won the toss and took first use of a firm track.

Forty-three overs later they were 122 for nine. It was only a dogged last-wicket stand of 79 between Heath Streak and Paul Harris that raised the total above 200 to assure at least one batting point.

The ball swung at times and there was some good bowling. But some wickets were surrendered to awful shots. Such tatty stuff left the Bears' bowlers facing a massive salvage operation. Yorkshire's serene progress to 122 for two by the close simply completed a wretched day for Streak's side.

For the first hour, it appeared that, at last, the Bears' batting difficulties might be behind them. Openers Ian Westwood and Mark Wagh dealt capably with a bizarre combination of distractions.

This distinguished old ground is just 150 yards from the coast and, until noon, the pitch was visited by a sea fret which, at times, blew so thick that the scoreboard was hidden from view.

While Westwood and Wagh peered through the mist, meanwhile, their ears were assailed by a malfunctioning public address system. A sporadic loud humming noise irritated everybody present who were also treated to bursts of conversation from the engineers trying to fix the problem.

So it was much to West-wood and Wagh's credit that they battled through the first hour unparted. Trouble was, the mist then cleared and the noise ceased. And Warwickshire fell in a heap.

England discard Tim Bresnan, intelligently pitching up the ball to maximise the swing, started the collapse with three wickets for five runs in 13 balls. Wagh and Westwood edged to second slip and Jonathan Trott cut carelessly to point.

Westwood got a good one - and you had to feel sorry for him. He faced 63 balls for his 31 and diligently saw off the new ball but a big innings continues to elude him.

Reeling from Bresnan's b urst, the Bears were promptly blitzed by Jason Gillespie with a salvo of three for three in 3.3 overs. Nick Knight nicked one he might have left. Tim Ambrose could not drop his hands quickly enough and also edged to the wicket-keeper. Luke Parker, on his first championship appearance of the season, got a brutal inswinging yorker which knocked out off-stump. From 49 without loss in the 17th over, Warwickshire suddenly languished at 85 for six in the 31st.

Dougie Brown mustered a blow or two of defiance to reach 22 but then came another three quickfire dismissals - this time down exclusively to dozy batting. Brown spooned a long hop to deep mid-wicket and Tim Groenewald wafted another to point. Neil Carter then took the batting sieve-headedness to new proportion. He played his second ball to mid-off, ambled off on a single and was beaten by Gideon Kruis' direct hit.

At least Streak and Harris dug in. Streak batted with assurance for an unbeaten 68 from 100 balls with ten fours while Harris supplied sensible support. The South African struck 32 from 69 balls with two fours before fatally missing a sweep at 18-year-old leg-spinner Adil Rashid.

The last-wicket alliance of 79 was a Bears record at Scarborough, surpassing the 72 put on by Bob Wyatt and Eric Hollies in 1939, and at least ensured Warwickshire that solitary batting point.

After such a topsy-turvy innings, the 4,000 crowd was intrigued by what Yorkshire's reply might bring. It brought few alarms for the batsmen.

Craig White chipped Brown to mid-wicket and Anthony McGrath edged behind but Yorkshire closed the day strongly fancying their chances of victory.