Durham v Yorkshire: Yorkshire home in on victory as Rudolph excels

Andrew Gale's men go into the fourth and final day at the Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground needing 54 more runs to beat the champions with six wickets in hand.

Failure to do so would evoke Devon Loch's famous capitulation during the 1956 Grand National.

The horse inexplicably slipped over metres from the winning post to deny its owner, The Queen Mother, an apparently certain victory.

There should be no such calamity at Chester-le-Street.

Yorkshire have played the better cricket and would be full value for a win that would lift them from third place to second, six points behind Nottinghamshire, who have a game in hand and remain favourites to claim the 500,000 first prize.

At stumps, Yorkshire were 245-4 in their second innings in pursuit of 299.

Only 12 times in their history have they successfully chased a higher total in first-class cricket, although the pitch has become progressively easier – like so many across the country these days, with Headingley Carnegie among the worst offenders.

Unsurprisingly, Jacques Rudolph, Adam Lyth and Anthony McGrath have spearheaded Yorkshire's batting efforts.

All have passed 1,000 Championship runs this year – Durham, in contrast, have no one in four figures – to help Yorkshire to the brink of a triumph that would effectively end the champions' hopes of a third straight title and thereby emulate the great Yorkshire side of the late 1960s.

Having missed out in the first innings as Yorkshire made 255 in response to Durham's 213, Rudolph and Lyth were unlikely to do so again after Durham were dismissed a second time yesterday for 340.

Lyth stroked 48 during an opening alliance of 113, ended in the penultimate over before tea when he mistimed a back-foot drive off the medium-pace of Ben Stokes and was caught at second slip by Michael Di Venuto.

Rudolph went on to 100, his fourth Championship hundred of the season, before chopping on to Mitch Claydon, while first innings centurion Anthony McGrath added 29 before slashing Claydon to point.

The day began with the game intriguingly poised and the sun doing its utmost to peek through vast swathes of high, grey cloud.

Durham were 207-6, a lead of 165, and felt they needed an advantage of at least 250 to pose Yorkshire problems.

As it turned out, they fared significantly better to emphasise the docile nature of a white-coloured surface on which 17 wickets somehow tumbled on the opening day.

It took Yorkshire 50 minutes to claim their first wicket of the morning, Oliver Hannon-Dalby inducing Liam Plunkett into a rash drive held at second slip by Jonathan Bairstow.

Dale Benkenstein, 35 overnight, went to his half-century from 104 balls with six fours, having added 78 with Plunkett in 20 overs.

Benkenstein, who normally enjoys batting against Yorkshire, found another willing ally in Claydon, who played arguably the two best strokes of the day.

The former Yorkshire pace bowler twice thumped Hannon-Dalby through the mid-off/cover region to leave the locals purring and the visitors scratching their heads.

Having survived a tough chance on 27 when he edged Steve Patterson to the diving Richard Pyrah at third slip, Claydon fell for 29 with the total on 298 when Ajmal Shahzad pinned him lbw with a full-length delivery.

The eighth-wicket partnership was worth 43 in nine overs as Durham took their lead towards 300.

Three overs after Claydon's departure, Yorkshire were relieved to see the back of Benkenstein, caught behind off Patterson for 74.

It was a nothing shot from the South African, who felt for a ball outside off-stump he should have left.

Chris Rushworth and Steve Harmison rubbed salt into Yorkshire's wounds by clubbing 36 for the 10th-wicket in seven overs, before the former was bowled by Patterson two deliveries after lunch.

Patterson finished with 4-87 but the pick of the attack was Hannon-Dalby, who took 4-73 after substituting for Tim Bresnan, who returned to the north-east yesterday after providing bowling cover for England at The Oval.

Yorkshire accumulated sensibly as Lyth and Rudolph advanced at four an over without much fuss.

McGrath – dropped on 16 by Plunkett at mid-wicket off Harmison – appeared to be trying to win it inside three days, while Bairstow was caught behind shortly before the close.

But Yorkshire return this morning with Gale unbeaten on 36, nightwatchman Patterson undefeated on three and the winning line in sight.

LV County Championship – Durham v Yorkshire

Emirates Durham ICG: Yorkshire (5pts) need 54 to beat Durham (4) with 6 second inns wkts standing.

Overnight: Yorkshire 255. Durham 213 and 207-6.

Durham First Innings

M J Di Venuto not out 117

M D Stoneman c Brophy b Patterson 1

G J Muchall lbw b Shahzad 12

D M Benkenstein b Shahzad 0

I D Blackwell c Bairstow b Bresnan 6

B A Stokes lbw b Shahzad 0

P Mustard c Brophy b Pyrah 53

L E Plunkett b Shahzad 0

M E Claydon b Shahzad 4

C Rushworth c Bairstow b Pyrah 0

S J Harmison run out 4

Extras b2 lb13 w1 16

Total (57.2 overs) 213

Fall: 1-11 2-32 3-32 4-53 5-54 6-169

7-172 8-176 9-183.

Bowling: Bresnan 16 4 58 1; Patterson 13.2 5 44 1; Shahzad 16 2 51 5; Pyrah 11 2 40 2; McGrath 1 0 5 0.

Yorkshire First Innings

A Lyth c Plunkett b Claydon 6

J A Rudolph b Claydon 7

T T Bresnan c Plunkett b S J Harmison 25

A McGrath not out 124

A W Gale lbw b S J Harmison 0

J M Bairstow lbw b Plunkett 18

G L Brophy b Blackwell 4

A U Rashid c Mustard b S J Harmison 17

R M Pyrah lbw b Plunkett 8

A Shahzad c Mustard b Rushworth 15

S A Patterson c Benkenstein b Plunkett 7

Extras b4 lb10 nb10 24

Total (72 overs) 255

Fall: 1-17 2-26 3-52 4-52 5-79 6-84

7-116 8-143 9-209.

Did Not Bat: O J Hannon-Dalby.

Bowling: S J Harmison 23 3 81 3; Claydon 8 0 37 2; Rushworth 11 4 50 1; Blackwell 13 5 17 1; Plunkett 17 4 56 3.

Durham Second Innings

M D Stoneman c Brophy b Patterson 78

M J Di Venuto lbw b Hannon-Dalby 18

G J Muchall b Shahzad 31

D M Benkenstein c Brophy b Patterson 74

I D Blackwell c Bairstow b Hannon-Dalby 13

B A Stokes c Bairstow b Patterson 8

P Mustard c Rudolph b Hannon-Dalby 2

L E Plunkett c Pyrah b Hannon-Dalby 30

M E Claydon lbw b Shahzad 29

C Rushworth b Patterson 28

S J Harmison not out 11

Extras b4 lb14 18

Total (92.3 overs) 340

Fall: 1-50 2-134 3-134 4-157 5-174

6-177 7-255 8-298 9-304.

Bowling: Shahzad 26 6 81 2; Patterson 25.3 4 87 4; Pyrah 11 2 53 0; Hannon-Dalby 21 3 73 4; A U Rashid 9 2 28 0.

Yorkshire Second Innings

A Lyth c Di Venuto b Stokes 48

J A Rudolph b Claydon 100

A McGrath c Stokes b Claydon 29

A W Gale not out 36

J M Bairstow c Mustard b Claydon 13

S A Patterson not out 3

Extras b1 lb8 w1 nb6 16

Total 4 wkts (61 overs) 245

Fall: 1-113 2-181 3-204 4-228.

Bowling: S J Harmison 13 2 46 0; Claydon 15 5 51 3; Blackwell 5 0 24 0; Plunkett 8 1 43 0; Rushworth 13 2 46 0; Stokes 7 0 26 1.

Umpires: N G C Cowley and B Dudleston.