County Championship round-up: Durham enforce follow-on against Yorkshire

Kane Williamson (Getty Images)

Batsman of the day

Yorkshire's Championship challenge looked under serious threat as Durham enforced the follow-on at Scarborough, where the erstwhile title favourites made 274 in their first innings but still trailed the visitors by 299. In Kane Williamson however, they might have made the signing that will take them across the line. The New Zealand batsman – out first ball on his debut against Nottinghamshire last week – completed his second half-century of this match, in which he has also claimed his first wickets with his off-breaks, and needs only 10 more for a century as Yorkshire battle to save a draw in a contest so far watched by 16,000 spectators. Williamson backed up a fine 151 not out by Phil Jaques in a so-far unbroken stand of 257 for the second wicket.

Bowler of the day

Bradley Taylor, the 16-year-old off-spinner who took a wicket with his third delivery when he made his YB40 debut for Hampshire against Lancashire on live television last week, made his mark by taking four second-innings wickets for 64 on his first-class debut against the same opposition at Southport, claiming the wickets of Luis Reece, Ashwell Prince, Paul Horton and Andrea Agathangelou. It was not enough, however, to knock Lancashire off course as they seek the eighth win of the season that will almost certainly see them return to the First Division, probably alongside Northamptonshire, who beat Glamorgan by an innings and 25 runs to strengthen their grip on second place. Reece made a fifty for the sixth consecutive Championship innings for Lancashire and Horton his first hundred of the season before Lancashire declared at 284 for 5, setting Hampshire a mammoth 496 to win.

Extras

The start of the Essex second innings at Bristol was delayed by 10 minutes because the new ball was in the umpires' room and neither of the officials, Nigel Cowley and Peter Hartley, could remember the combination for the lock. However, the Essex openers, Jaik Mickleburgh and Gautam Gambhir, appeared to benefit from the extra time to compose themselves, scoring 201 runs for the first wicket as Gambhir completed his first century for the county.