Day 4
Durham threw away a golden chance to secure their Division One status in the Rothesay County Championship as they failed to bat out the final two-and-a-bit sessions of their season finale against Yorkshire at Headingley and were relegated in the process.
Durham started their second innings 129 runs in arrears with a minimum of 89 overs left in the match against a Yorkshire side whose top-flight status had just been sealed by events elsewhere.
With relegation rivals Hampshire losing to Surrey at 10.55am, Yorkshire were safe. And that result gave Durham a lifeline. Draw the game and they too were secure in Division One for next season.
But they couldn’t grasp the chance, crumbling from 29 for one to 85 all out inside 45 overs during a remarkable afternoon collapse which saw George Hill and Dom Bess shine with four wickets apiece.
Yorkshire’s fourth win of the season – this by an innings and 44 runs – consolidated their position in seventh place, with Durham losing for the sixth time to join Worcestershire in Division Two next season.
Play started here at Headingley with Yorkshire advancing their first-innings reply to 346 from 465 for nine to 475 all out.
Jordan Thompson moved from 44 to 50 and was last man out to Ben Raine’s seam, drilling a catch to long-off.
When Thompson reached his fifty off 112 balls, he tapped the white rose on his chest with his bat in an obvious acknowledgement of his love for his home county ahead of a winter move to Warwickshire on a three-year contract.
Raine finished with excellent figures of five for 76 from 35.4 overs, his sixteenth first-class five-for.
Having scored a first-innings 101, he became the fifth man in Durham’s first-class history to hit a century and return a five-wicket haul in the same match. He didn’t deserve this outcome.
Durham reached lunch at 27 for one in 23 overs, losing Emilio Gay caught behind off the inside-edge pushing forwards at Hill’s seam.
Hill moved to 48 Championship wickets for the season. Durham lost their last nine wickets for 56.
Bess had Lees caught behind for 18 pushing forwards just after lunch, a beauty of a delivery to the left-hander.
And when Thompson’s seam accounted for Ben McKinney and David Bedingham in successive overs, Durham were 62 for four in the 35th. McKinney was lbw offering no shot, Bedingham caught behind.
Hill also trapped Ollie Robinson lbw with one that kept low shortly afterwards and struck again in his next over to get Graham Clark caught at backward point for his 50th Championship wicket of the season. Durham were 76 for six in the 41st over.
It took less than four more overs for the game to finish in deteriorating light.
Raine miscued to mid-off running around as he tried to hit Bess over the top before Matthew Potts was caught at short-leg and Daniel Hogg was caught behind – three wickets falling in the 44th over.
Will Rhodes was then trapped lbw by Hill to finish the game, the last four wickets falling for two runs in only 10 balls.
Yorkshire were jubilant, especially Hill with four for 14 in 10.5 overs and Bess with four for 22 from 17.
Day 3
Ben Raine and Shafiqullah Ghafari closed day three with four wickets apiece to their name as Yorkshire lead by 119 going into the final day, but Durham are not quite sure of the size of their task heading into day four at Headingley.
Should Hampshire – 148 for nine chasing 181 to beat Surrey at the Utilita Bowl – lose, seventh-placed Yorkshire would be safe no matter the result here in this season finale. Second-bottom Durham would need a draw to be safe.
Should Hampshire win – they are eighth in the table – Yorkshire would need to draw here, which they are very well placed to do, then Durham would drop into Division Two.
Yorkshire, replying to a first-innings 346 all out, started a weather-affected day on 314 for five and advanced to 465 for nine in the 51 overs possible, with George Hill compiling a skilful season’s best 88.
Bad light interrupted play on three occasions at Headingley, with the bulk of the evening lost. No play was possible beyond 3.25pm.
Hill impressively supplemented Indian batter Mayank Agarwal’s superb 175 on day two with his fourth fifty of a season which has seen him excel with the ball. His seamers have accounted for 47 Championship wickets.
He shared in half-century stands with fellow all-rounder Matthew Revis and Jordan Thompson, the latter contributing an unbeaten 44.
The morning session was a relatively quiet affair, with Yorkshire advancing from 314 for five overnight to 365 for seven.
Ben Raine, who has been excellent with four for 71 from 33 overs added to his first-innings century, and Matthew Potts struck for Durham.
Raine broke a sixth-wicket stand of 50 between Revis, 38, and Hill.
Revis was trapped lbw by an in-ducker before Dom Bess pulled Potts to deep backward square-leg. Skilful Hill was a calming presence for Yorkshire as they stretched their lead. In all, he hit 14 fours in 175 balls.
Hill moved to a fifty off 105 balls shortly before the hosts reached 400 for seven in the early stages of the afternoon. By this stage, Yorkshire lead by 54 and Durham’s need for wickets was becoming more desperate.
Hill did fall short of what would have been his season’s first century when bowled trying to attack the leg-spin of Afghanistani Shafiqullah Ghafari.
Hill and Thompson had shared an eighth-wicket 86, the latter all-rounder playing his last match before a winter move to Warwickshire.
Matt Milnes edged to slip to hand Ghafari a fourth wicket before the third bad light stoppage at 3.25pm was the last.
Day 2
Ben Raine completed his second first-class century and took three wickets but Mayank Agarwal’s 175 saw Durham toil on day two of their Rothesay County Championship clash with Yorkshire at Headingley.
This was a batter’s day in sunny Leeds, where two men posted centuries.
Durham all-rounder Ben Raine was the first, advancing from 87 not out overnight to a superb 101. Unfortunately for him, though, Durham could only convert a 322 for seven score into 346 all out, with new-ball seamer Jack White completing an impressive five for 69.
Indian overseas batter Agarwal – 20 fours and five sixes in 195 balls – followed Raine to three figures as the hosts then replied with a commanding 314 for five from 86 overs. He shared a second-wicket 127 either side of lunch with opener Adam Lyth, whose 69 came on his 38th birthday.
Durham’s innings was wrapped up inside an eventful first eight overs of the day which saw White claim all three wickets and Raine reach his second career first-class century.
White bowled Matthew Potts and Daniel Hogg in the 100th over, his second of the day. Potts, bowled through the gate, lost his middle stump and Hogg was beaten on the outside edge and lost off.
Raine and Potts had shared 87 for the eighth wicket from late evening onwards on day one, aggressively advancing Durham from 245 for seven.
Raine reached his hundred off 101 balls as he took the majority of the strike away from last man Shafiqullah Ghafari before top-edging a swish at White to third-man to end the innings.
Raine’s influence on the contest was extended amidst a tight start to Yorkshire’s reply, him trapping Fin Bean lbw stuck on the crease as the score slipped to nine for one after seven overs.
Potts and Raine started with three successive maidens before the latter’s strike.
So, despite good batting conditions, Lyth and Agarwal had to be watchful.
They were, but not so much that the runs didn’t come. Lyth was strong through the off-side and Agarwal full of touch as he recovered from two ducks in three previous innings for Yorkshire.
Both he and Lyth reached afternoon fifties, the latter first off 102 balls.
Agarwal’s came off 84 balls with a six down the ground off Afghan Ghafari’s leg-spin.
Shortly afterwards, Ghafari had Lyth caught at slip by Potts via a deflection off wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson – 136 for two in the 41st over.
Agarwal then took on Ghafari, hitting him for three more sixes before tea – two down the ground in an over and another pulled over midwicket to get him to a 122-ball century.
Yorkshire reached the break at 198 for two.
Shortly afterwards, Raine bowled James Wharton and then had Jonny Bairstow caught behind first ball with 203 on the board.
Agarwal’s presence was a calming influence, however, and went on to 150 off 176 balls.
Ghafari did gain revenge for the earlier sixes when the 34-year-old right-hander miscued to long-on at 281 for five in the 75th over, Yorkshire’s deficit now 65.
Matthew Revis and George Hill whittled that down further to 32 through to close and will begin day three on 28 and 23 respectively.
David Bedingham hit a season’s best 93 off 195 balls to steer an impressive Durham recovery from early strife on day one of their final-round Rothesay County Championship clash against Yorkshire at Headingley.
Durham, having elected to bat, slipped to seven for two inside five overs, bringing Bedingham in. He determinedly batted through until late evening and shared in a series of crucial partnerships, chiefly 101 for the fourth wicket either side of lunch with Will Rhodes, 53.
The visitors closed on 322 for seven from 96 overs. They will be delighted with the outcome, especially considering Ben Raine’s counter-attacking 87 not out off 85 late in the day. His was also a season’s best score.
Yorkshire came into this fixture seventh in the table on 146 points, Durham ninth on 140. Sandwiched in between, Hampshire on 142.
Just before play, a minute’s applause in memory of the late Dickie Bird was observed.
Yorkshire made a start their former president Bird would have been proud of, reducing Durham, who elected to bat, to that aforementioned seven for two as new-ball seamers Matt Milnes and Jack White struck on a lovely late summer’s morning.
Alex Lees and opening partner Emilio Gay were caught at third slip by Fin Bean, the former defending at one and the latter driving at one.
Ben McKinney and Bedingham tried to steady through a 44-run stand. But George Hill broke their alliance when McKinney was caught behind pushing forwards – 51 for three in the 20th over.
A couple of catches went down at first slip, including Rhodes on 17 shortly after lunch.
But, by and large – against an attack who kept things tight, Bedingham and Rhodes turned the tide very impressively.
During the heart of the afternoon, both reached their fifties. Bedingham’s came first off 105 balls before Rhodes got there off 96. By that stage, the visitors were in a much healthier state at 152 for three after 50 overs.
However, trouble was just around the corner as Rhodes miscued the off-spin of Dom Bess to midwicket in the next over and Ollie Robinson was bowled by Hill in the 54th – 155 for five.
Bedingham’s contribution was clearly key to keeping Durham afloat and was a far cry from his regular aggression, surviving as Yorkshire chipped away at the wickets on what looks to be a placid, hybrid pitch.
The 31-year-old is playing only his sixth Championship match of the summer, owing much to Test commitments.
Bedingham, particularly strong on the back foot, also added 48 for the sixth wicket with Graham Clark, who was trapped lbw for 27 playing to leg in the early stages the evening, leaving the score at 203 for six in the 72nd over.
Raine hoisted Bess for a couple of sixes, the first drilled over long-off and the second slog-swept over midwicket.
He shared 42 with Bedingham, who fell to a beauty of a catch from Hill running back from first slip towards third-man following a top-edged pull against White.
That left Durham at 245 for seven in the 83rd over.
Raine reached his fifty off 58 balls inside the day’s final 10 overs and cleared the ropes twice more amidst an unbroken 77-run stand with Matthew Potts, 23.