Yorkshire staring into the abyss

Graham Onions’ first five-wicket haul for a year put Durham in command against Yorkshire at Chester-le-Street in the LV County Championship Division One clash.

The visitors were bundled out for 194, 210 behind, but Durham captain Dale Benkenstein opted not to enforce the follow-on.

In four overs’ batting Durham reached 16 without loss in their second innings.

Ben Harmison opened in place of first-innings centurion Michael Di Venuto, who suffered a hand injury while attempting a stop in the slips.

Yorkshire would have been in much deeper trouble but for a plucky innings of 70 by Adil Rashid, who rescued them from 50 for six in a stand of 85 with Tim Bresnan.

Steve Harmison took two early wickets and added a third when Rashid was last out, going for a big swing and edging to wicketkeeper Phil Mustard.

The 20-year-old hit 11 fours in his 121-ball knock.

Yorkshire are expected to have Matthew Hoggard in their line-up following his release by England, with 19-year-old debutant Ben Sanderson the player nominated to stand down.

He was unfortunate enough not to face a ball when batting.

Harmison was not as accurate as Onions, who twice went agonisingly close to bowling Jacques Rudolph during a 12-over opening spell in which his three other wickets were fully deserved.

Onions returned to bowl Bresnan for 46, and later trimmed Darren Gough’s off bail to finish with 5-75 from 20 overs, while Harmison took 3-40.

After Yorkshire’s left-handed openers, Joe Sayers and championship debutant Adam Lyth, both edged to Neil McKenzie at first slip, Anthony McGrath was brilliantly run out by substitute Will Gidman.

He was on the field for only a few overs but swooped from mid-wicket to hit the non-striker’s stumps as McGrath called Rudolph through for a single.

Andrew Gale edged Onions to second slip and wicketkeeper Gerard Brophy looked too high at six as Onions almost bowled him then induced an edge to Mustard.

Rudolph fenced at the first ball of the next over from Harmison and offered the wicketkeeper another catch.

Resuming on 337 for six in the morning, Durham achieved maximum batting points despite Di Venuto failing to add to his overnight 184.

The former Australian international was pinned lbw by Bresnan’s second ball of the day, but Paul Wiseman, dropped on two, took his overnight 21 to 60 before he was last out.