Durham v Yokshire: Steve Patterson proves his reliability once again for defending champions

The pace bowler is Yorkshire’s Mr Reliable.

He never lets the county down.

Patterson is often at his best in times of crisis.

When Yorkshire were without six players to England’s tour of the West Indies last year, he took a career-best 5-11 against Worcestershire at New Road.

Yesterday, when they were without six bowlers to injuries/international call-ups, he eclipsed that with new career-best figures of 6-56.

Thanks primarily to his efforts, Durham were dismissed for 172.

Alex Lees then recorded his first half-century in first-team cricket for 12 innings, scoring 71 as Yorkshire reached 129-4 at stumps on day one.

To say that it is a case of all hands to the pump for the champions in the north east is an understatement.

The visitors were compelled to give a first-class debut to Ben Coad, 22, and a Championship debut to fellow pace bowler Josh Shaw, 20, recalled last week from a season-long loan at Gloucestershire, for whom he made six Championship appearances.

Ryan Sidebottom (ankle), Jack Brooks (quad) and Matthew Fisher (hamstring) are all injured, while Liam Plunkett, David Willey and Adil Rashid are on one-day international duty.

With Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow also on England duty, one might even call it a scratch Yorkshire side, but even a scratch Yorkshire side, on this evidence, is more dangerous than most sides.

After Andrew Gale chose not to contest the toss on a cloudy morning, which later gave way to glorious sunshine, the start was delayed by five minutes due to light rain before a further shower after one over caused a 30-minute stoppage.

When the match got going properly, Durham had the better of the early exchanges as openers Mark Stoneman and Keaton Jennings repelled diligent if unremarkable bowling.

Yorkshire needed a spark from somewhere and, with 49 runs scored in the 15th over, Shaw provided it, striking with his seventh delivery as Jennings shouldered arms to one that nipped back and knocked out his off stump.

It was something of a bonus wicket, if truth be told, and another one followed with the total on 56 when Scott Borthwick pushed Patterson to mid-off, chanced a single, and was run-out by a direct hit from Gale.

Jack Burnham was dropped on four in the first over after lunch by Lees at first slip off Shaw, but Patterson struck in the next over – the start of a four-wicket burst that swung the day firmly Yorkshire’s way.

Mark Stoneman played across his front pad and was lbw for 45, while Michael Richardson was caught behind off a magnificent delivery that bounced and left him.

Paul Collingwood wafted outside off stump and was caught at point, and when Ryan Pringle was bowled through the gate, Durham were 110-6 in far from hostile batting conditions.

Tim Bresnan had Usman Arshad caught behind from one that nipped away just enough, and Shaw claimed his second wicket when he raced down the pitch to catch Barry McCarthy off his own bowling via a looping chance off bat and pad.

After tea, Patterson rounded things off by having Chris Rushworth and Burnham caught in the covers, Burnham contributing the top score of 49 from 134 deliveries.

Shaw returned 2-38, while Coad conceded only 38 runs from his 17 overs.

The old adage that you never know what a good score is until both sides have batted would appear to apply in this case, and Yorkshire set about showing that Durham’s is apparently below par.

There is help for the bowlers if they can get it in the right place, however, and Rushworth did that when he had Adam Lyth caught behind with the total on 30.

Rushworth struck again when Kane Williamson fell victim to a fine catch in the gully by Jennings, and after Lees and Gary Ballance had added 71 in 15 overs, he took two more wickets just before stumps.

Lees was bowled after a fluent display that spanned 78 balls and included 10 fours, while nightwatchman Patterson met the same fate two balls later.

Ballance played some nice strokes as he seeks a big innings to enhance his hopes of a return to the international stage, finishing on 35 from 46 balls.

With only two overs of spin in the day, allied to the earlier rain break, play did not finish until 7.07pm.

By then, only the faithful few remained, with many having dashed off to watch a certain football match on television.

DISPLAY OF THE DAY

STEVE PATTERSON returned career-best figures of 20.1-4-56-6.