Warwickshire 244 and 57 for 3 (Thompson 3-19) trail Yorkshire 449 (Lyth 145, Brook 82, Revis 53*, McAndrew 4-111) by 148 runs

There have been days in many a Championship summer when the reigning champions get a shiver of realisation that they are not going to successfully defend their title. Perhaps this was the day when Warwickshire recognised that their standing is in doubt. They could not have responded more grudgingly.

Sam Hain and Will Rhodes had added 32 in 28 overs when light rain brought a welcome end with 7.4 overs remaining. Yorkshire, still 148 runs ahead, will expect to take seven wickets to claim victory on the final day, and there is more encouragement in the surface for the bowlers than has been apparent when Yorkshire have failed to force home winning positions on the final day, but in a season of stalemates, nothing can be taken for granted.

Considering that the Championship is a great democracy, with nine of the counties (exactly half) having won the title since the turn of the century, successful title defences are surprisingly common: Surrey (1999/2000), Sussex (2006/2007), Durham (2008/2009) and Yorkshire (2014/2015) have all managed it in that period.

With licence to attack, he has surely never struck the ball as crisply, so often, in his county career. Oliver Hannon-Dalby was pulled and lofted straight, and Danny Briggs stylishly despatched inside-out to the extra cover boundary, but the best shot of all was a slog-sweep for six against Briggs that brought up his half-century.

Revis, an imposing 20-year-old, is fast developing into a cricketer to be reckoned with. Like team-mates Harry Brook and George Hill, he is a product of Sedbergh School under their director of cricket Martin Speight. He debuted in the Championship at the end of 2019 as an opening batter, aged 17. But he has been playing this season as more of a specialist hit-the-pitch-hard seam bowler batting at No. 9.

When the skipper, Steve Patterson, emerged at No 11, he implored Revis to be positive. “That’s when I play at my best, when I’m looking to score,” he said. “I would like to bat higher up in the future, hopefully. But the job I’m doing now, I’m really enjoying it.”

Warwickshire’s only consolation was some fine catching – Rhodes held a screamer at mid-on to dismiss Thompson – and the manner in which Dom Bess had gifted them a bowling bonus point when he advanced down the wicket at Briggs and sliced high into the off side. This time last year, the extra point might have been a case of Every Little Helps, all part of their methodical progress towards a Championship title. This summer, with the season at its mid-point, it appears to be a point that will be irrelevant, one way or another, by the time September ends.