DURHAM had lost one wicket today when rain arrived at Headingley at 2.45 with Michael Di Venuto unbeaten on 107.

The fact that showers had always been forecast for the last two days of the match made Yorkshire’s tactics all the more baffling in batting on for 40 minutes after tea on the second day.

Di Venuto was far more fluent than either of the Yorkshire century-makers, who both took more than 200 balls to reach the landmark, compared with 161 for the Durham opener.

It was his 13th first-class century for Durham, taking him past Jon Lewis and leaving him only one behind Paul Collingwood and John Morris. The one man ahead of them, Dale Benkenstein, fell for 64 today when he was smartly stumped by Jonny Bairstow off a very good ball from David Wainwright.

The left-arm spinner bowled poorly in the morning, but once the light started to fade Yorkshire had no option but to turn again to their spinners.

Not that the seamers had posed much threat, with 11 runs coming off Steve Patterson’s first over after lunch. Tino Best briefly looked more dangerous than he had previously in the match, swinging one in to Di Venuto, who was rapped on the pads when shouldering arms on 95. It could only have been because the ball was going over the top that he survived the lbw appeal.

The same pair had dug Durham out of a hole when they were four for two when following on against Essex two weeks ago, putting on 212. This time their stand was worth 145.

As in both innings in the last match against Hampshire, Ian Blackwell hit the first ball he faced for four, driving Wainwright to the cover boundary.

He was on 12 when the rain arrived and an early tea was taken with Durham on 215 for four.