Williamson and Bairstow offer Yorkshire hope

An eerie silence descended on the ground yesterday as the Championship leaders battled to stay in the game with their second-placed visitors.

Not often in this summer of plenty have Yorkshire had their backs against the wall, but although their predicament at the midway point of this match is far from hopeless, with their first innings total standing at 182-3 in reply to 573, it is sufficiently concerning to impress on everyone watching yesterday that they are in danger of ceding ground to their rivals.

A 25.5-point advantage going into the match has already been trimmed to 21.5 points on account of bonus points, which currently stand at six-two in Durham’s favour, but Yorkshire’s concern is not with such lesser numbers as the significant one of 16 points for a win should Durham prevail.

Kane Williamson, the New Zealand international signed on a short-term deal until the end of the season, and Jonny Bairstow, the England batsman/wicketkeeper, did their best to prevent that possibility with a fighting partnership of 75 in the final 100 minutes’ play.

Williamson, who made a golden duck in his first Championship innings for the county at Trent Bridge last week, has made a considerably better fist of his second one as he reached stumps on 76 from 145 balls with 12 fours.

Bairstow, whose full quality has yet to be revealed at the highest level, rarely fails to deliver in a Yorkshire shirt and he contributed an undefeated 42 after arriving at the critical juncture of 107-3 following the departure of captain Andrew Gale.

At that stage, the 424 required to avoid the follow-on looked as far away as the horizon off the north-sea coast, but both batsmen showed the sort of fighting spirit that has taken Yorkshire to within touching distance of the title in their 150th anniversary year, a quality they will hope to reproduce today.

On a generally cloudy day helped along by a gentle breeze, which lightly rippled the pin-striped deckchairs in front of the Festival marquee, Durham resumed on 406-6 with Paul Collingwood, the captain, on 74.

A first Championship century of the season beckoned for the former England man, but he had to be content with his highest score of the campaign as he departed in the day’s third over, lbw to Ryan Sidebottom for 81.

Out of a total just shy of 600, figures of 4-85 for Sidebottom stood out like a belch in polite company, the rest of the bowling much of a muchness – although Steve Patterson went at only 2.7 an over in an innings that hurried along at 4.1.

Hopes that the rapid removal of Collingwood would hasten the end of the innings were unmasked as fanciful as the last three wickets added 159.

Michael Richardson, the 26-year-old son of Dave Richardson, the former South Africa wicketkeeper/batsman and current International Cricket Council chief executive, was the principal antagonist, recording his maiden century from the No 8 position in his 18th first-class match.

Richardson accumulated 49 for the eighth wicket in 14 overs with Mark Wood, who compiled 22 before driving Liam Plunkett high to Jack Brooks at cover.

Even better was to follow for the visitors when Richardson combined in a ninth-wicket stand of 84 in 22 overs with Jamie Harrison, a 22-year-old left-arm pace bowler making only his fifth first-class appearance.

Harrison, Lancashire-born, scored 35 from 62 balls with six fours before he was calamitously run-out after Richardson played behind square on the off-side, Sidebottom returning to Bairstow, who hurled down the stumps at the non-striker’s end.

Richardson had 77 when he was joined by last man Chris Rushworth and he decided to take matters into his own hands by farming the strike and twice lofting the off-spin of Williamson over long-on for six towards the Tea Room.

The second of those shots brought up his century, but when Richardson tried to repeat the feat later in the over, he skied to mid-on, where Gary Ballance judged a towering catch.

Durham’s total was their highest against Yorkshire and the fifth-highest in first-class cricket at Scarborough, eclipsing by one run Yorkshire’s 572-8 declared against Nottinghamshire earlier this summer.

Yorkshire’s reply began badly when Adam Lyth flashed hard at a ball from Rushworth and fell to a breathtaking catch by Ben Stokes at fourth slip, diving full length to his left.

Phil Jaques popped Scott Borthwick’s second ball to short-leg and Gale played across one from Harrison, but Williamson and Bairstow took Yorkshire to within 242 of being made to bat again.

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Yorkshire v Durham scoreboard: Page 23.