Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Sensational Dom Bess celebrates dismissing Durham’s Daniel Hogg as one of three wickets in an over.
Yorkshire ended the season with a remarkable innings and 44-run win over Durham at Headingley today, racing to victory amidst one of the most chaotic sessions of cricket in recent memory.
Yorkshire were safe in Division One for 2026 at 10.55am this morning when Hampshire lost to Surrey at the Utilita Bowl, bowled out for 160 chasing 181.
By that stage, the White Rose had been bowled out for 475 in their first-innings reply to 346, advancing from an overnight 465-9. The lead was 129 with a minimum of 89 overs remaining in the day.
Now, Jonny Bairstow and his players could go for the win in a relaxed, buoyant frame of mind. And that’s exactly what they did, bowling Durham out for 85 inside 45 overs, the visitors crumbling from 29-1 just after lunch.
Dom Bess and George Hill were the stars of the show with four wickets apiece, departing all-rounder Jordan Thompson taking the other two having earlier advanced from 44 not out to 50 with the bat.
This was his last day in a Yorkshire shirt – for now, at least – and it was some way to bow out.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com Jordan Thompson and Matt Milnes (l) thank the supporters as their final game for Yorkshire ends with a bang.
For off-spinner Bess, he was sensational. For Hill, so too the case as he sailed to and beyond the 50-wicket mark in this season’s Rothesay County Championship.
If Yorkshire were relaxed and buoyant, Durham were exactly the opposite.
They were riddled with the pressure of the situation.
With Hampshire losing to Surrey, they knew a draw would save their own skins having started the week second-from-bottom in the table. They just had to bat out the day.
In the end, they could only bat half of those 89 overs and will be playing in Division Two next season alongside Worcestershire. Their coach Ryan Campbell said at close: “Today was one of those days that will probably go down in Durham’s folklore of hanging our heads in shame.”
One man who should hold his head high is their all-rounder Ben Raine.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. George Hill celebrates dismissing Durham’s Graham Clark.
He finished with excellent figures of 5-76 from 35.4 overs, getting the last Yorkshire wicket to fall today, Thompson caught at long-off.
Having scored a first-innings 101, he became the fifth man in Durham’s first-class history to hit a century and return a five-wicket haul in the same match. He didn’t deserve this outcome.
This was Yorkshire’s fourth win of the season and consolidated their position in seventh place. They finished on 168 points, only four adrift of fourth place.
When Thompson reached his fifty off 112 balls this morning, he tapped the white rose on his chest with his bat in an obvious acknowledgement of his love for his home county ahead of a winter move to Warwickshire.
So, with Thompson falling to Raine Durham’s task was clear. Bat out the day.
They reached lunch at 27-1 in 23 overs, losing Emilio Gay caught behind off the inside-edge pushing forwards at Hill’s seam.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Members’ player-of-the-season Matthew Revis takes the catch to help Dom Bess dismiss Ben Raine.
Hill moved to 48 Championship wickets for the season.
But then came the drama, the visitors losing their last nine wickets for 56.
Bess had Lees caught behind for 18 pushing forwards just after lunch, a beauty of a delivery to the left-hander.
And when Thompson’s seam accounted for Ben McKinney and David Bedingham in successive overs, Durham were 62-4 in the 35th. McKinney was lbw offering no shot, Bedingham caught behind playing half-heartedly chasing one he could have left alone.
Hill also trapped Ollie Robinson lbw with one that kept low shortly afterwards and struck again in his next over to get Graham Clark caught slashing to backward point for his 50th Championship wicket of the season.
Durham were 76-6 in the 41st over.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. George Hill finishes the season with 51 Championship wickets.
Umpires Michael Burns and Steve O’Shaughnessy were, by this stage, checking the light. And it had reached the stage where it looked likely to be Durham’s only saviour.
But it took less than four more overs for the game to finish.
Raine miscued to mid-off running around as he tried to hit Bess over the top before Matthew Potts was caught at short-leg and Daniel Hogg was caught behind – three wickets falling in the 44th over.
Will Rhodes was then trapped lbw by Hill to finish the game, the last four wickets falling for two runs in only 10 balls.
Yorkshire were jubilant, especially Hill with 4-14 in 10.5 overs and Bess with 4-22 from 17.
Durham were disconsolate.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Mayank Agarwal scored a stunning first-innings 175.
As the players walked off the field, Hill and Bess were saluted but so too Thompson and Matt Milnes, who also leaves Yorkshire after three seasons to return to Kent.
Both will be missed. Both will not forget this day in a hurry.
And, of course, we can’t forgets the efforts of Jack White and Mayank Agarwal in the first innings, their five-for and 175, were brilliant.
