Durham Enjoy 'Massive' Win

Not content with inflicting two Twenty20 defeats on the Tykes, our neighbours of Durham delivered a serious blow to Yorkshire's chances of becoming County Champions. We will discover in four weeks' time just how pivotal the fourth day of this table-topping tussle will prove to be. The white rose almost staggered to safety but were about 80 runs short of providing an adequate run chase total.

It is always a bitter pill to swallow when one loses to local rivals but Yorkshire's heartache is all the more emphatic as dastardly Durham have now fiendishly narrowed the gap at the top of the English cricket charts to a mere 5.5 points with one game in hand. The men from the north east are now in the driving seat, though their championship-pursuing campaign will hinge upon their two pending contests against Sussex, who also entertain Yorkshire in mid-September too.

Meanwhile back on the east coast, it was Durham's extreme good fortune to win the toss on a batting-friendly wicket, but credit is definitely due (through gritted teeth) for their efforts at accumulating an unassailable 574. It demonstrated that winning the toss is one thing, but it is another to exploit this initial advantage. However, it could nearly have been so different when Ryan Sidebottom made a couple of early breakthroughs, leaving the visitors momentarily reeling at 67 for 3. Nevertheless, the battle-hardened Durham troops then rallied with considerable contributions from their middle order and tail too. Admittedly they were assisted by an impotent Yorkshire attack that was all at sea, with the notable exception of the characteristically economical Steven Patterson. Regrettably Liam Plunkett fluffed his lines against his former county with an abject display of bowling. His first two generous overs cost a dreadful twenty-two runs, and in spite of a plucky innings on the final afternoon, his place ought to be in doubt for the next outing away to Sussex. 

Despite Durham's mammoth total, the Tykes should have been encouraged by the fact that even Durham's tailenders were batting with comfort on this benign wicket. Unfortunatey, Adam Lyth was dismissed early and those batsmen who subsequently made starts were unable to capitalise and construct the big century that the hosts desperately needed. Moreover, the run out of the dangerous Gary Ballance for only one just about summed up the white rose's woes. In the event, a paltry reply of 274 was way too short, and not surprisingly Paul Collingwood invited the home team to bat again on the afternoon of the third day.

This time, in spite of Lyth again frustratingly surrendering for only ten, our twin southern hemisphere imports excelled with a two-hundred second wicket stand that took the home team safely through to the close. Thoughts were now being entertained overnight of Yorkshire being about two hundred runs ahead at tea and of setting Durham a demanding total in the final thirty overs or so. That may have sounded like a plan, but Durham had other ideas. They enjoyed great morning sessions on the third and fourth days as the Tykes' strong batting line-up capitulated. Andrew Gale and Adil Rashid should join Mr Lyth in the doghouse for their twin failures. Durham's bowlers toiled on the Scarborough surface but they were let off the hook by Yorkshire's knack of losing wickets at the start of a session. The loss of the wickets of Jaques and the equally impressive Williamson in quick succession on the final morning left Yorkshire scrambling unsuccessfully thereafter to prolong their innings and bat out most of the day.

However, Borthwick removed Sidebottom and then Plunkett and Brooks immediately before tea, with time fast running out, and proceeded to polish off the required runs to achieve a 'massive' win in both senses of the word.

YORKSHIRE versus Durham; at Scarborough; 28-31 August; Durham won the toss.

Durham first innings: 573 (Stokes 127, Stoneman 122, Richardson 102, Collingwood 81; Sidebottom 4-85)

YORKSHIRE first innings: 274 (Williamson 84, Bairstow 82)

YORKSHIRE second innings: 419 (Jaques 152, Williamson 97; Rushworth 3-72, Stokes 3-108, Borthwick 3-104)

Durham second innings: 124 for 3 (Borthwick 65)

Durham win by seven wickets.