Live: Rothesay County Championship – Durham v Yorkshire Men, Day 4

The umpires have called it, the players have shaken hands.

Yorkshire finish on 277-6 and claim 13 points from the draw, added to a win and a loss at the start of the season.

There’s been no change in scene here at the Banks Homes Riverside. Tea has been and gone.

Play has been halted with Yorkshire 277-6, leading by 157. Bairstow 86 and Bess 2. We have just under 50 overs remaining in the day but won’t see all of them. We lose time immediately.

An early tea will be taken at 3.10pm.

The rain has arrived at the Banks Homes Riverside. Play continues, however. Yorkshire 277-6, leading by 157. Bairstow has 86.

Matthew Revis caught behind Ollie Robinson bowled Colin Ackermann, 40.

Revis is caught behind off the inside-edge, ending a valuable contribution. The partnership between him and Jonny Bairstow ends at 96. Bairstow, 83, is joined at the crease by Dom Bess.

You feel as if Yorkshire are in much safer waters now, at 243-5 with a lead of 123.

Jonny Bairstow has 71 and Matthew Revis 25. They have shared an unbroken 67.

Matthew Potts and Will Rhodes are the bowlers in operation for Durham at present.

Yorkshire 232-5, leading by 112.

Matthew Potts continues, with Jonny Bairstow on 66 and Matthew Revis 24.

There has been a touch of lunch-time rain.

That morning could hardly have gone better for Yorkshire, who lost just the one wicket and have added 100 runs.

Captain Jonny Bairstow led the way and remains unbeaten on 67. Matthew Revis is on 24.

Yorkshire will be delighted with their morning’s work at the Riverside. They have lost just the one wicket and are batting themselves into a position of safety, especially if the expected rain arrives.

Jonny Bairstow has 63 and Matthew Revis 24. These two have added 52 unbroken for the sixth wicket.

Jonny Bairstow has reached a crucial and excellent fifty off 91 balls. He gets there with a cover drive off Ben Raine, who is bowling with the new ball now.

Yorkshire are 203-5, leading by 83.

There are also reports suggesting that light rain has started.

This 40 minutes through to lunch with the new cherry is, you feel, Durham’s last chance.

Picture by John Heald.

The introduction of the second new ball is going clearly going to be a key period for Durham.

That arrives in two overs from now. Yorkshire are 184-5 after 78, leading by 64 runs.

Jonny Bairstow has 36 and Matthew Revis 7.

George Hill caught Ben McKinney bowled Colin Ackermann, 24.

Hill pulls the part-time off-spinner to mid-wicket, ending a 59-run partnership with Jonny Bairstow, who remains on 35.

Matthew Revis comes in to join his skipper as they look to build on the lead of 56.

Yorkshire’s camp will be delighted with this start to day four. Jonny Bairstow and George Hill, 32 and 21, have taken the score to 170-4, a 50-run lead.

Durham’s hopes were raised when Brendan Doggett came onto the field five minutes or so ago. But he was just taking the light meters to the umpires.

Will Rhodes is into the attack to bowl the 70th over of the innings.

Durham’s only bowling options are Rhodes, Colin Ackermann and Ben Raine and Matthew Potts.

It looks like Jonny Bairstow has just offered a caught behind chance down leg off Ben Raine, on 19. Ollie Robinson can’t cling on.Yorkshire are 155-4, leading by 35.

Bairstow and George Hill have 19 apiece.

Yorkshire are 143-4 in the day’s second over, adding 11 runs so far.

Jonny Bairstow took two boundaries off Matthew Potts in the opening over and has moved to 11. The White Rose lead is 23.

Durham are missing Paul Coughlin (abdominal injury) and Brendan Doggett, who was off the field yesterday and we’re not sure what his issue is.

The hosts have had to draft in their batting coach Will Gidman as a sub fielder alongside young fast bowler James Minto.

The floodlights will be in operation from the start of play. There is the threat of rain later today, but bad light may also play its part.

There will be a minute’s silence before the start of play in memory of former first-class umpire Jeff Evans, who died at the age of 70 yesterday.

Welshman Evans, a former resident in Scarborough, umpired on the county circuit between 1999 and 2020.

Division One 

Hampshire 336 v Somerset 184 and 103-1, Utilita Bowl

Sussex 435 v Surrey 390-3, The 1st Central County Ground, Hove

Warwickshire 93 and 163-6 v Nottinghamshire 367, Edgbaston 

Division Two 

Derbyshire 307 and 202-3 v Northamptonshire 500-8, The County Ground, Derby

Kent 393 v Gloucestershire 472 and 112-2, The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, Canterbury 

Lancashire 263 and 16-3 v Leicestershire 491-8d, Emirates Old Trafford 

Middlesex 470-9d v Glamorgan 199 and 186-5, Lord’s

Picture by David Rogers/Getty Images. Leicestershire’s Rehan Ahmed scored 100 opening the batting against Lancashire.

Good morning from the Banks Homes Riverside ahead of the fourth day of our Championship clash with Durham.

It’s dry and overcast, more than we’ve seen it over the first three days of this fixture. The car headlights were all on driving into the ground only 20 minutes or so ago.

Yorkshire will begin day four on 132-4 in their second innings, leading by 12, with Jonny Bairstow and George Hill at the crease in the infancy of their innings.

There is a threat of rain this afternoon, so it may be that Yorkshire only need to survive through the morning in order to secure a draw.

Yorkshire enjoyed a healthy first half of yesterday with the ball, reducing Durham from 301-1 in their first innings to 427 all out, limiting the lead to 120. Durham then chipped away at the wickets before close, with Ben Raine excellent for two wickets and Matthew Potts matching him.

If Yorkshire were to get out of this with a draw, they would claim 13 points from their third match of the season, adding to a defeat and a win so far.