Pat Murphy: An intensely competitive session at last

The Yorkshireman's pace took two more wickets as the Australians were reminded what it was like to be under pressure in an Ashes Test.

The performance gave Gough figures of four for 52 at lunch to follow his dreadful luck of the previous three matches. It also gacve him his 50th Ashes wicket.

Angus Fraser also enjoyed his morning, taking the crucial wicket of Mark Waugh, just as he was looking set for a big innings.

At lunch Australia were 163 for five, still 107 behind England's first innings total.

Fraser was first to strike, trapping Mark Waugh leg before for 36.

Fraser breaks through (BBC Test Match Special)

He was hit on the pad as he mis-timed one of his characteristic shots around his legs, and although the ball might have been going down the leg side, umpire Harper raised his finger.

Waugh and Justin Langer had seen off some fierce early overs from Gough, and put together a partnership worth 72 before Fraser struck at 98 for three.

Gough returns to the attack and Langer is out (Test Match Special)

Then just as Langer and Steve Waugh were starting to apply the pressure again, Gough returned to the attack and struck quickly.

His first victim was Langer before his Yorkshire team-mate Darren Lehmann was dismissed on his recall to the Australian side.

Langer went after just four balls of Gough's second spell, slicing a drive straight at Nasser Hussain in the gully.

BBC Test Match Special: "Gough wins the battle of the Tykes"

The Essex man took a brilliant catch as the force of the ball almost appeared to knock him over.

The score was 127 for four, and Langer was on 44 following his big hundred in the last Test.

Darren Gough (left): Four wickets for unlucky bowler

Lehmann then arrived at the crease, and clearly wanted to make the most of both his Test recall and the familiar bowling of Gough following Lehmann's two years as Yorkshire's overseas player.

He quickly moved on to 13, including two boundaries, but he chanced his arm once too often and tried to cut a wide ball outside the off stump.

The ball was edged to debutant Lancashire wicket-keeper Warren Hegg in what was an all-Roses dismissal and the Lancastrian's first Test dismissal.

Gough and Fraser were well supported by England's other two seamers Dean Headley and Alan Mullally who bowled with control.

The fielding was also sharp as England finally seemed to discover the form required to compete with the world's top side.

England must win to keep alive hopes of drawing the series.

Scorecard

Overnight: England 270 (A Stewart 107, M Ramprakash 63; S MacGill 4-61). Australia 59-2

M Taylor c Hick b Gough 7
M Slater lbw b Gough 1
J Langer c Hussain b Gough 44
M Waugh lbw b Fraser 36
S Waugh not out 37
D Lehmann c Hegg b Gough 13
I Healy not out 5

Extras 20

Total 163 for 5 (50 overs)

To bat: D Fleming, S MacGill, G McGrath, M Nicholson

Fall: 1-13, 2-26, 3-98, 4-127, 5-151

Bowling: Gough 17-5-52-4, Headley 13-2-31-0, Mullally 9-2-30-0, Ramprakash 1-0-5-0, Fraser 10-0-35-1

England first innings

M Atherton c Healy b McGrath 0
A Stewart b MacGill 107
M Butcher c Langer b McGrath 0
N Hussain c Healy b Nicholson 19
M Ramprakash c McGrath b S Waugh 63
G Hick c Fleming b MacGill 39
W Hegg c Healy b S Waugh 3
D Headley c Taylor b McGrath 14
D Gough b MacGill 11
A Fraser not out 0
A Mullally lbw b MacGill 0

Extras 14

Total 270 all out (76 overs)

Fall: 1-0, 2-4, 3-81, 4-200, 5-202, 6-206, 7-244, 8-266, 9-270

Bowling: McGrath 22-5-64-3, Fleming 19-3-71-0 Nicholson 10-0-59-1, MacGill 19-2-61-4, S Waugh 6-2-8-2

Australia won toss and decided to field