Yorks fall to huge loss at Durham

COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE
Riverside, day three of four (stumps):
Durham 406 & 205-6 bt Yorkshire 194 & 122 by 295 runs
Points: Durham 22, Yorks 3

Match scorecard

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Durham's decision to bat Yorkshire out of the game by not forcing a follow-on paid off as the visitors crumbled to a 295-run defeat at Chester-le-Street.

The hosts resumed on 16-0 in the second innings, already 226 ahead, and Dale Benkenstein led the way with 86 not out before they declared on 205-6.

Facing a huge chase of 418, Yorkshire crumbled embarrassingly to 122 all out.

Graham Onions followed his 5-75 in the first innings with 3-23, while Steve Harmison weighed in with 3-39.

The maximum-point victory saw Durham climb off the foot of the division one table and vindicated their decision not to put Yorkshire back in after they had slumped to 194 all out in the first innings.

Durham skipper Benkenstein was the key to the hosts' huge lead by the end of the second innings, sharing in an unbroken stand with Michael Di Venuto (45) of 93 to bat Yorkshire out of the game.

Onions followed that with a devastating opening burst which reduced Yorkshire to 10-3 as Adam Lyth and Anthony McGrath fell lbw and Jacques Rudolph went caught behind.

Harmison, desperate to prove his form and win an England recall, got among the wickets when he had Andrew Gale caught behind before his younger brother Ben ended the resistance of Joe Sayers and Gerard Brophy.

Mark Davies then got a bit of movement off the pitch to bowl Gerard Brophy, before ending a stand of 41 between Darren Gough and Tim Bresnan when the Yorkshire captain bottom-edged an attempted pull into his stumps.

Harmison returned to have Matthew Hoggard caught at first slip and bowled last man Deon Kruis after Durham claimed the extra half hour to seal a mammoth win.