Dom Leech led a potent Yorkshire bowling performance with three wickets on day two of their three-day friendly at Durham, finishing with 3-12.
Leech took the new ball and helped the visitors, defending their first-innings 221-6 declared, take 10 Durham wickets for 123 inside 52 overs before they continued to bat until declaring at tea on 177/10.
Yorkshire’s other Dom, the England off-spinner Bess, added two wickets, while Jordan Thompson, Matthew Revis, Steve Patterson and Tom Loten all struck once apiece added to an early run out.
Yorkshire then started their second innings after tea and advanced to 77-2 from 28 overs, including an unbeaten 30 for Harry Brook.
Leech, the tall 21-year-old from Middlesbrough, looks well placed to build on his three four-day appearances across the last two seasons.
He bowled with good pace and control in his nine overs.
After bowler Thompson ran out opener Sean Dickson in the day’s second over as he tried to pinch a quick single, Leech trapped the other opener Michael Jones lbw as the score fell to 12-2 in the eighth over.
Wickets continued to fall at pace, and Durham were 73-7 at lunch.
In almost the perfect scenario for a pre-season game, six different bowlers claimed a wicket.
New ball pair Thompson and Leech returned immediately after lunch, and the latter’s second over yielded the wickets of Durham captain Scott Borthwick for 31 and Matty Potts next ball.
Borthwick was given out caught behind chasing one by his former county team-mate Phil Mustard, who is embarking upon a career in umpiring, while Potts was trapped lbw.
The 14 overs bowled by Bess were the most sent down by any of Yorkshire’s bowlers, and the offie trapped Ben Raine lbw and had Liam Trevaskis caught off a top-edged sweep by Brook running around to leg slip.
It is particularly heartening to see Leech running in with gusto and performing.
The ex-England Under 19s quick’s nasty collision with the concentre base of Headingley’s Western Terrace during the Roses game last July is not a memory easily forgotten, but he has recovered well from a dislocated kneecap.
If he continues to bowl as he did here, then Yorkshire fans could be seeing plenty of him this summer.
After tea, Yorkshire lost openers George Hill and James Wharton cheaply, though Brook and Will Fraine (20 not out) played nicely.
Brook even lofted left-arm spinner Liam Trevaskis for a big six over mid-wicket into the hospitality boxes on the top of the pavilion.
