YORKSHIRE’S champions last night received a “kick up the backside” from coach Jason Gillespie after taking their foot off the gas during the closing stages of the season.

The White Rose have endured a difficult last four and a bit days of Championship cricket against Middlesex at Lord’s and Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl - their latest match.

After losing their unbeaten record against Middlesex on Saturday, Yorkshire have been on the back foot during the first two days against relegation-threatened Hampshire.

The hosts declared their first innings on 400-9 during yesterday’s second afternoon before reducing the champions to 62-4. They closed a day which saw 30 overs lost to rain and bad light on 82-4 from 34.

Adam Lyth and Gary Ballance fell for a second-ball duck and 30 to mark a miserable day personally as they were both left out of England’s Test squad for next month’s series against Pakistan in the UAE.

Lyth edged former West Indies seamer Fidel Edwards to third slip two balls into Yorkshire’s reply before Ballance miscued a pull at Ryan Stevenson to mid-wicket.

"I thought we were pretty poor,” said captain Andrew Gale, one of the wickets to fall for three.

“We've had a chat in the dressing room. I thought we bowled okay on day one, but we have just lacked a bit of zip.

“There's a lot of tiredness about. We've done 320 overs in the dirt over the last five or six days, and teams are grinding us down like we have done to them. That tiredness sort of gets into the batting as well.

“Tired minds, poor day, but we can fight back.

"Our standards have slipped. But Dizzy's given us a kick up the backside that we might need, so we'll see how go.

"It's tough because you put all your efforts, everything you've got, into winning the Championship, going for a goal. Once you've achieved that goal, you never know how lads are going to respond.

“We still want to get that points record. That's one thing the lads have got between their teeth.

"The biggest thing was last week. If you're not quite on it, you're chasing the game. We've done it to so many teams ourselves, and it's a lesson - more so to some of the young lads who are used to winning.

“I've played in sides where this was happening every week. It's definitely a lesson.”

Teenage seamer Matthew Fisher, 17, has been Yorkshire’s standout performer.

He claimed two late wickets during an exhilarating afternoon as Hampshire, who started the day on 219-4 from 78 overs, scored 77 runs in 6.5 overs to secure the maximum five batting points for reaching 400 inside 110 overs.

He finished with 2-61 from 23.5 overs, while Hampshire’s Liam Dawson scored 140 and Gareth Berg smashed six fours in 27 not out off nine balls to reach 400 in time as they fight hard to preserve their place in Division One.

There is the prospect of rain today, and Gale is open to contriving a run chase tomorrow.

"We'll cross that bridge when it comes,” added the left-hander. “We're certainly not against that because we've got nothing to lose. We've got it wrapped up and they need the points. I'd certainly back us to chase a score down."