Jacques Rudolph and Joe Sayers featured in their fourth century opening stand of the season as Yorkshire made smooth progress towards Hampshire's first-innings score of 351 on the second day of the LV County Championship match at Headingley.

Both sides were able to celebrate their survival in Division One, Hampshire reaching safety when they secured a third batting bonus point in the morning and Yorkshire at the moment when Sussex were bowled out for 243 by Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.

Yorkshire embarked on their innings knowing they required a further three bonus points to maintain their status regardless of how results went elsewhere and they closed on 169 for one after their first-wicket pair had put on 162 together, Sayers ending unbeaten on 74.

Former Yorkshire batsman, Michael Lumb, was on 72 when Hampshire resumed in the morning on 227 for four.

However, it was Nic Pothas who monopolised the early scoring, taking two cover-driven boundaries off Matthew Hoggard in one over soon after the new ball had been taken.

Ajmal Shahzad - at lunchtime named as the Yorkshire players' player of the year - bowled splendidly from the football stand end and he broke the partnership at 260 as Lumb attempted to drive a full-length ball and was well held by Anthony McGrath at second slip for 81 from 160 deliveries, with 11 boundaries.

Hoggard then picked up his only wicket of the innings at a cost of 115 runs as Dimitri Mascarenhas chased a ball outside off-stump to provide McGrath with another excellent catch.

Hampshire reached safety at 301 for six before losing Pothas, who was caught behind by Gerard Brophy off Deon Kruis.

Although Dominic Cork carefully accumulated an unbeaten 42, the tail quickly subsided with the last three wickets toppling in 12 balls for the addition of six runs.

Two of them fell to Shahzad, who finished with four wickets for 75 runs to give the colt 40 Championship wickets this season.

Rudolph stroked cover boundaries off the first and third balls of the innings to get Yorkshire off to a confident start but the runs suddenly dried up and it took Sayers 25 balls before he was able to sprint a single to get off the mark.

By then he had already given a very sharp chance to Liam Dawson which the Hampshire man could not hold on to at third slip.

Sayers quickly caught up with his partner after tea and the introduction of Sean Ervine brought him boundaries off the medium pacer's first two deliveries and in the next over from James Tomlinson a classic drive through extra cover by Rudolph sent the ball racing to the rope.

Both batsmen reached their half-centuries in the same over from David Griffiths, Rudolph off 99 balls with 10 fours and Sayers from 123 deliveries with seven boundaries.

Only two overs of the day remained when Rudolph departed for 68, deceived by left-arm spinner Danny Briggs into floating a catch to Tomlinson at mid-on.

It was just the start that Yorkshire would have wished for and it gave them every opportunity of going on to build up a sizeable first-innings lead.