Day 4: Durham 427 v Yorkshire 307 and 277-6, Banks Homes Riverside. Match drawn.
Durham 15 points, Yorkshire 13 points
Colin Ackermann claimed a pair of wickets as Durham and Yorkshire secured a Rothesay County Championship draw during a shortened fourth day at Banks Homes Riverside.
Durham will rue the loss of injured seamers Paul Coughlin and Brendan Doggett throughout this fixture, which saw them claim 15 points and end a two-match losing start.
Jonny Bairstow shared half-century partnerships for the fifth and sixth wickets with all-rounders George Hill and Matthew Revis during the morning session as Yorkshire, who started the day on 132 for four in their second innings – leading by 12, reached 232 for five at lunch.
With a lead of 112, Yorkshire had taken the sting out of the situation and continued to build their lead after lunch, when rain arrived just before 3pm with them at 277 for six from 105.3 overs and 157 ahead.
Bairstow’s 167-ball effort included 11 fours and represented his second fifty of the summer.
Coughlin’s abdominal problem was sustained on day one and seems more serious. Australian overseas Doggett, however, went over on his ankle during day three and was not on the field purely as a precaution.
It meant captain Alex Lees, who scored a first-innings 172, was left with only four bowling options on day four – tireless new-ball seamers Ben Raine and Matthew Potts, medium pacer Will Rhodes and the part-time off-spin of Colin Ackermann.
Bairstow started day four, which began with the floodlights on, with only two runs to his name.
But he was quickly out of the blocks with a couple of boundaries off Potts in the day’s opening over.
He completed a fifth-wicket stand of 59 with Hill, who contributed 24 before pulling Ackermann to midwicket, leaving Yorkshire at 176 for five in the 73rd over, a visiting lead of 56.
Bairstow was strong on the pull against Potts and then Raine, either side of reaching his fifty off 91 balls, while he drove another eye-catching boundary almost arrow straight off Rhodes.
Revis also moved into the twenties with a couple of back-foot boundaries off Raine just before lunch at 232 for five with some light rain falling.
After lunch, Potts had a five-over spell which Yorkshire negated. But by then, it felt as if the sting had been taken out of the situation with the threat of rain increasing.
Potts has bowled 50 overs in this match – 20 in the first innings and 30 in the second – for three wickets and has sent down 139 in three matches so far this season. Raine, meanwhile, has bowled 141 overs – the most in Division One. He took six wickets in the match.
Ackermann had Revis caught behind off the inside-edge on 40, leaving Yorkshire 272 for six – a lead of 152.
That ended a 96-run partnership with Bairstow, who was denied the chance to post a 32nd career first-class century. But his number one objective of steering his side to safety had been achieved.
Umpires Martin Saggers and Surendiran Shanmugam called a close to the fixture at 4pm.
Day 3: Durham 427 v Yorkshire 327 & 132/4, Banks Homes Riverside
Durham will hope the threat of fourth afternoon weather does not ruin their chances of claiming a Rothesay County Championship victory over Yorkshire at the Banks Home Riverside.
Yorkshire can lay claim to having the better of day three thanks to taking the last nine first-innings wickets for 126 through until early afternoon, limiting the hosts to 427 all out in reply to 307. Alex Lees was removed for a standout 172 and Emilio Gay for an excellent 152.
New-ball seamer Jack White led the way with three wickets, but all five of the county’s quicks struck, including New Zealand overseas debutant Ben Sears.
However, Durham chipped away at the second-innings wickets on a slow pitch, restricting Yorkshire to 132 for four from 59 overs at close. Their lead is only 12.
Former England Test opener Adam Lyth reached 15,000 first-class career runs amidst a patient 53 in the North East sunshine, while Ben Raine and Matthew Potts struck twice apiece.
Lees and Gay, who faced 240 and 239 balls respectively, completed a record second-wicket partnership of 279 – their county’s highest ever for that particular wicket in first-class cricket.
That beat the 274 Scott Borthwick and Mark Stoneman shared against Middlesex here in 2014.
Yorkshire hit back strongly during a morning which saw Durham advance from 264 for one overnight to 386 for six at lunch, with Lees and Gay both falling.
While Yorkshire started the day with the spin of Dom Bess, all five wickets fell to seam.
Matthew Revis is playing his first game since suffering a back stress fracture last August and struck twice in as many overs when he had Lees caught at long-leg following a top-edged pull and Colin Ackermann caught behind for a duck.
Ollie Robinson was trapped lbw by White, now bowling with the new ball, before Will Rhodes fell the same way to Sears, who earlier took a smart diving catch running in from long-leg to help Revis remove Lees.
Sandwiched in between the departures of Robinson and Rhodes, George Hill squared Gay up and rocked back his off-stump shortly after the left-hander had reached his 150 off 235 balls.
And inside 10 overs of the afternoon, Durham had been bowled out, with White and Jordan Thompson striking twice apiece.
White bowled Raine and had Brendan Doggett caught behind, while Thompson struck twice in the 104th over to get Graham Clark caught at first slip for 33 and Paul Coughlin caught behind.
Coughlin batted lower down than usual at number 10 because of an abdominal injury suffered whilst bowling on day one, leaving Durham a bowling option light second time around.
While the morning’s play perhaps suggests otherwise, there isn’t as much life in this Riverside pitch for the bowlers as there was on day one.
Yorkshire lost Fin Bean lbw early on to Raine’s seam – 25 for one – before Lyth reached the 15,000-run mark with a trademark cover drive against Potts to move to 15 before tea.
Potts had James Wharton caught at deep square-leg following a miscued pull early in the evening as Yorkshire fell to 39 for two.
From there, Lyth and Dawid Malan dug in on a slow pitch to chip away at the deficit, sharing 75 for the third wicket. But both fell in the final hour to boost Durham’s chances.
Lyth reached his fifty off 128 balls – his second of the season added to a century – but fell lbw to Raine with the deficit still six.
Potts then bowled Malan for 37, leaving Yorkshire at 117 for four.
Yorkshire captain Jonny Bairstow ended the day unbeaten on two.
Day 2: Durham 264-1 v Yorkshire 307, Banks Homes Riverside
Alex Lees excelled against his former county as he and fellow centurion Emilio Gay ensured Durham dominated day two of their Rothesay County Championship clash with Yorkshire at the Banks Homes Riverside.
At the halfway stage of this Division One fixture, Durham have control having replied strongly to a first-innings 307 with 264 for one from 63.2 overs, bad light curtailing the day just before 5pm.
Yorkshire had seemingly enjoyed a healthy day one as they compiled 295 for eight in challenging batting conditions. But, in easing batting conditions, Durham pressed ahead to give themselves a great chance.
Lees led the way with 148 not out off 194 balls, while Gay’s unbeaten 105 off 168 represented an expert supporting role. They shared an unbroken 242 – a Durham second-wicket partnership record in first-class matches against Yorkshire.
Durham wrapped up Yorkshire’s tail in the first five overs of the day, Ben Raine and Matthew Potts striking, before captain Lees and fellow left-hander Gay united from mid-morning onwards. Thirty three overs were lost to bad light.
The pair came together after George Hill removed prospective England Test opener Ben McKinney for six, caught at second slip by Adam Lyth, leaving Durham at 22 for one after six overs.
Like Lees and McKinney, Gay is another left-hander who has been talked about as an England possible in recent times. This was his first century for Durham since a move from Northamptonshire late last summer.
Lees was strong on both sides of the wicket but drove particularly well, while Gay was far more circumspect against a visiting attack who never got a foothold.
Hill and new-ball partner Jack White were ok, but New Zealand quick Ben Sears took time to settle on debut, bowling 12 overs at a cost of 56.
Incidentally, Sears had been the first wicket to fall on day two when he was bowled by Raine, who finished with four for 64 from 24 overs. Matthew Potts had a pulling Dom Bess caught in the deep for 66 to wrap up Yorkshire’s innings.
Lees survived a close shave with a run out on 67 shortly after lunch and went on to reach his century off 126 balls, by which stage Durham were 162 for one.
Bad light forced an early tea – 224 for one – but just beforehand Lees hit four fours off a Matthew Revis over which cost 19.
Gay reached his century off 163 balls shortly after the resumption, but he only faced three more balls and it was only a brief evening session because of the light.
Meanwhile, when Durham come to bowl for victory during the next two days, they may have to do it without seamer Paul Coughlin, who suffered an abdominal injury whilst bowling during the opening day.
Day 1: Durham v Yorkshire 295-8, Banks Homes Riverside
Durham fought back well with the ball as the home side close day one with two late wickets on an even day of Rothesay County Championship cricket against Yorkshire at the Banks Home Riverside.
Australian overseas seamer Brendan Doggett impressed with four for 69 from 19 overs as Yorkshire closed the day on 295 for eight from 81 overs, with bad light ending the day early.
Number three Wharton made 69 off 109 balls at the start of the day as both sides jostled for position after the hosts had elected to bowl in favourable conditions before seventh-wicket pair Hill and Bess asserted their county’s authority either side of tea with a 105-stand.
Hill added 64 off 88 balls, while Bess backed up his second-innings century in last weekend’s win over Worcestershire with 57 not out off 79.
Wharton was one of overseas recruit Doggett’s victims, as were openers Adam Lyth and Fin Bean plus visiting captain Jonny Bairstow, the latter made 22.
Openers Lyth and Bean – having shared 43 – both fell to Doggett in the 18th over as part of an even morning.
Lyth, on 28, will have been particularly frustrated to miscue a loose pull to square-leg before Bean was trapped lbw playing back to a ball short of a good length.
Doggett had Dawid Malan caught at first slip for 18 as he half pushed forwards – 92 for three in the 36th over.
Wharton, Hill and Bess will take Yorkshire’s acclaim. While Bess has previously played for England, that is the aim for Wharton and Hill – two 24-year-olds who Yorkshire have high hopes for.
This was a particularly important innings for Wharton given that in Yorkshire’s next game, against Warwickshire at Headingley from May 2, Joe Root and Harry Brook are both available.
Bairstow, was trapped lbw playing back against Ben Raine just as Yorkshire were beginning to assert their authority on proceedings, leaving the score at 137 for four in the 47th over.
Wharton was dropped in the slips on 52 just after Bairstow’s departure, Colin Ackermann the culprit off Raine.
And while that didn’t cost Durham too much as the right-hander fell shortly afterwards when he pulled Doggett out to deep midwicket – 165 for five – Durham will reflect on a couple of missed opportunities throughout the day.
Yorkshire lost a sixth just before they reached 200, with the seam of their former all-rounder Will Rhodes getting Mathew Revis caught at first slip.
Wharton had reached his fifty off 85 balls earlier in the day, Hill got to his off 71 and Bess 62, the latter’s including a pulled six.
Just before the light closed in, Raine struck twice in two balls with the new ball, getting Hill caught at second slip and Jordan Thompson at mid-on.