Gillespie defiant after Yorkshire hand title initiative to Durham

A seven-wicket defeat to second-placed Durham saw the visitors close to within 5.5 points with a one-match advantage.

Leaders Yorkshire return to action on Wednesday week against Sussex at Hove, after which they play Middlesex at Headingley and Surrey at the Oval.

Durham play their game in hand against Sussex at Chester-le-Street, starting tomorrow, before concluding their campaign against Derbyshire at Derby, Nottinghamshire at Chester-le-Street and Sussex at Hove.

It is Durham who are suddenly in the box seat after a win made all the more impressive by the fact that Yorkshire fielded a strong side here, while they themselves were without leading bowler Graham Onions, and, after a side strain picked up during the first innings, fellow paceman Mark Wood.

But if one thing is certain it is that nothing is certain, with scope for plenty of twists and turns between now and the end of the season.

It is why first-team coach Jason Gillespie – although disappointed with his side’s second defeat of the four-day season – is adamant Yorkshire can recover from this setback by the seaside.

“We had a bad game, but there’s still a lot of cricket to be played and I’m confident we’ll bounce back,” he said.

“Durham are obviously in a very good position now but all we can do is look after ourselves and meet each challenge head-on.

“We believe we’re a strong side and although it was disappointing to lose, we’ll dust ourselves off.

“A lot can still happen between now and the end of the season.”

This, in many ways, was a funny old match.

Yorkshire, after losing the toss in balmy batting conditions, reduced Durham to 5-2 before the visitors recovered to 573 – the fifth-highest total in first-class cricket at Scarborough.

The home side were going well at 211-3 in reply but lost their last seven wickets for 63 runs in 23 overs, a collapse that proved fatal.

Forced to follow-on 299 behind, Yorkshire fought back magnificently to reach 276-1 by stumps on day three, leaving some of their number talking enthusiastically of winning the game.

But another disappointing morning session put paid to those hopes and gave Durham the impetus to claim a victory that will test Yorkshire’s resolve to the full.

It was entirely down to the efforts of Phil Jaques and Kane Williamson that Yorkshire went into the final day in optimistic mood.

Australian left-hander Jaques had batted beautifully to reach an unbeaten 151 and Williamson, a New Zealand right-hander, likewise to move to within 10 runs of his maiden century for the county.

But the loss of both players inside the first six overs on day four, with Yorkshire still 15 runs adrift, was a body blow from which they never recovered.

Ben Stokes, a young man with the ability to change a match with bat or ball, had Williamson caught in the gully off a loose drive and then produced a beauty of a delivery to kiss the outside edge of Jaques’s bat on its way through to the wicketkeeper.

Williamson made 97 from 197 balls with 14 fours and Jaques 152 from 202 deliveries with 23 fours and two sixes.

Their stand of 264 in 64 overs was Yorkshire’s second-highest for the second-wicket at Scarborough behind the 302 compiled by Willie Watson and Vic Wilson against Derbyshire in 1948.

After Yorkshire had crept into the lead by 14 runs, the second new ball became available and the first delivery with it accounted for Andrew Gale, caught at second slip off Jamie Harrison to leave Yorkshire 313-4.

Gary Ballance timed some sweet off-side strokes and appeared to be steadying the position in company with Jonny Bairstow when the latter fell 10 minutes before lunch, caught at mid-wicket as Yorkshire slipped to 349-5 – effectively 50-5.

When Adil Rashid went to the first ball after the break, also caught at mid-wicket, this time off Chris Rushworth, Yorkshire’s goose was on simmer.

It was properly cooking three overs later when Ballance drove at Stokes and was caught at the second attempt by wicketkeeper Phil Mustard, leaving Yorkshire just 58 in front with only three wickets left.

Liam Plunkett fought valiantly against his former club and found a willing ally in Ryan Sidebottom, with whom he added 53 for the eighth wicket in 19 overs.

But when leg-spinner Scott Borthwick – after 35.4 wicket-less overs – had Sidebottom caught behind, the innings subsided.

Borthwick claimed his second wicket when he spun one sharply at Plunkett, who edged to Stokes at second slip for 42 from 69 balls, and then picked up a third victim when he had last man Jack Brooks caught at first slip by Paul Collingwood.

Borthwick’s burst of 3-0 in 20 balls put a flattering gloss on his figures, while Stokes and Rushworth also claimed three wickets apiece.

Left to score 121 from 37 overs, Durham made a calamitous start when Sidebottom had Mark Stoneman caught at third slip by Williamson from the first delivery of the innings.

Keaton Jennings was dropped by Ballance at first slip off Steve Patterson with the total on 31 and was not dismissed until the score had clicked round to 72, the left-hander flicking Adil Rashid to short-leg.

Borthwick biffed 65 before being bowled aiming a wild slog at Rashid, at which point 18 were still needed.

Will Smith and Stokes got them as Durham sealed the win at 5.45pm with 9.2 overs to spare.

[email protected]