Masterful Rudolph puts champions to the sword

THERE is no doubt Darren Lehmann is the greatest overseas player in Yorkshire's history.

The Australian scored 8,871 first-class runs for the county at 68.76 and is the only modern player who would get into Yorkshire's all-time XI.

It says everything for Jacques Rudolph, therefore, that the South African can consider himself in the very next bracket in terms of performance.

A career-best 228 not out against Durham yesterday emphasised his class and means he has now scored 4,209 first-class runs for the club at 56.12.

Technically, of course, Rudolph is a Kolpak player – a man whose signing sparked controversy when Yorkshire exploited a loophole in overseas regulations to hire him in 2007.

The England and Wales Cricket Board condemned his recruitment as "not in the best interests of cricket in England", fearing such applications deny young English players opportunities.

That has hardly been an issue at Yorkshire, however, who have given more chances than most to up-and-coming youngsters, while Rudolph himself has been a model professional and a shining example in the way he has conducted himself on-and-off the field.

Whatever one's views on the rights and wrongs of Kolpak players, Rudolph and Yorkshire have been a marriage made in heaven and the club's supporters have taken him to their hearts, appreciating his Lehmann-esque commitment and consistency.

In common with Lehmann, who made a career-best 339 in this fixture three years ago, Rudolph has an insatiable appetite for big scores.

This was his second double hundred for Yorkshire – beating his 220 against Warwickshire at Scarborough in 2007 – and eclipsed his previous career-best of 222 not out for South Africa against Bangladesh at Chittagong in 2003 in his maiden Test innings.

It underpinned a Yorkshire first innings total of 610-6 declared against a Durham side who sorely missed injured pace bowlers Steve Harmison, Graham Onions, Callum Thorp and Mitch Claydon.

The visitors closed day two on 54-3 in reply – leg-spinner Adil Rashid taking two wickets in two balls to remove Durham captain Will Smith and nightwatchman Mark Davies – and face an uphill fight to save the game.

Arguably the most impressive thing about Rudolph's latest tour de force was that it came hot on the heels of his unbeaten 101 against Essex at Chelmsford on Sunday, when he shared a Yorkshire one-day league record stand of 233 with captain Andrew Gale and admitted afterwards to feeling jaded.

Rudolph has played non-stop during the past 12 months but his powers of concentration and physical endurance were exemplary as he produced an innings that will live in the memory.

From the moment he arrived at the crease on Tuesday afternoon to the moment he walked off yesterday to a standing ovation, Rudolph was master of all he surveyed.

His cover-driving, in particular, was a joy to behold, and, like all great sportsmen, he made it all look so easy.

The stroke that brought up his century was a case in point: an off-drive off Mark Davies that beat the full-length dive of Chris Rushworth at mid-off on its way to the Rugby Stand boundary.

There were countless other moments of consummate batting by a player who may yet push his Yorkshire average up into the 60s.

After Yorkshire resumed on 304-2, with Rudolph 68 and Anthony McGrath 73, Rudolph won the race to three figures.

In a moment of high comedy, he almost prevented McGrath from reaching the milestone himself in freakish style.

McGrath, on 97, drove a ball from Ian Blackwell that would have gone for four through mid-on had it not struck Rudolph a painful blow on the arm.

Moments later, McGrath could see the funny side as he lofted the spinner to the mid-off boundary to record his first hundred since last May – a milestone greeted with great applause by the Headingley crowd.

McGrath had reached 105 when he was run out shortly before lunch following a mix-up with Rudolph, ending a stand of 206 in 74 overs.

Gale added 111 with Rudolph before picking out square-cover; Jonathan Bairstow was bowled cutting and Rashid caught at extra cover following a breezy 43 before the declaration came 40 minutes after tea.

Steve Patterson struck the first blow in Durham's reply when he had Kyle Coezter caught at slip.

The fielder – who else? – was Rudolph.

Yorkshire v Durham

Headingley Carnegie: Durham (1pt) trail Yorkshire (5) by 556 with 7 first inns wkts standing.

Overnight: Yorkshire 304-2 (A McGrath 73no, J A Rudolph 68no).

Yorkshire First Innings

A Lyth c Di Venuto b Blackwell 85

J J Sayers c W R Smith b Blackwell 63

A McGrath run out 105

J A Rudolph not out 228

A W Gale c Plunkett b Stokes 41

J M Bairstow b Borthwick 9

A U Rashid c Sub b Borthwick 43

D J Wainwright not out 14

Extras lb9 w3 nb10 22

Total 6 wkts dec (176 overs) 610

Fall: 1-146 2-173 3-379 4-490 5-503 6-586.

Did Not Bat: T L Best, S A Patterson, O J Hannon-Dalby.

Bowling: Davies 28 10 60 0; Rushworth 27 7 86 0; Plunkett 23 3 110 0; Stokes 9 0 52 1; Benkenstein 12 6 21 0; Blackwell 43 15 105 2; Borthwick 27 0 122 2; K J Coetzer 3 0 18 0; W R Smith 4 0 27 0.

Durham First Innings

M J Di Venuto not out 30

K J Coetzer c Rudolph b Patterson 8

W R Smith b A U Rashid 8

M Davies b A U Rashid 0

D M Benkenstein not out 4

Extras lb4 4

Total 3 wkts (18 overs) 54

Fall: 1-17 2-49 3-49.

To Bat: I D Blackwell, B A Stokes, P Mustard, L E Plunkett, S G Borthwick, C Rushworth.

Bowling: Best 5 0 26 0; Hannon-Dalby 5 2 10 0; Patterson 5 1 8 1; A U Rashid 3 1 6 2.

Umpires: R K Illingworth and D J Millns.

DISPLAY OF THE DAY

Jacques Rudolph

Scored a magnificent unbeaten 228 from 389 balls with 35 fours.