WHILE no-one could have predicted that Chris Rushworth would be opening the bowling for Durham in the third match of the season, few people would have been more surprised than Martyn Moxon.

It was during the Yorkshire coach’s tenure at Durham that Rushworth was released, but Moxon was spared any potential embarrassment at Headingley yesterday as his side piled up 304 for two.

The talented Adam Lyth led the way with 85 as all Yorkshire’s top four passed 60. As three are left-handers Rushworth’s late swing enabled him to beat the bat several times with both the first and second new balls. But he enjoyed no beginner’s luck and conceded runs at four an over.

Andrew Gale won a crucial toss on such an unusually dry April pitch that both sides included two spinners and Durham will surely be at a disadvantage batting last.

The inclusion of Scott Borthwick might have meant no place for Rushworth, but the 23-year-old seamer was pressed into a difficult debut when Callum Thorp suffered a back injury in the warm-up.

With Steve Harmison and Graham Onions also the victims of back trouble, overworked physio Nigel Kent must be becoming an expert in this area. It must be a refreshing change to treat Mitch Claydon’s abdominal strain, plus whatever ailment has ruled Neil Killeen out of contention.

Although Liam Plunkett was entrusted with the second new ball, Rushworth and Mark Davies formed an unlikely opening pair in the morning.

Rushworth moved a couple of excellent balls away from the openers and found the edge of Adam Lyth’s bat with his tenth delivery.

The ball landed just short and wide of Dale Benkenstein at first slip and went for four, then the same batsman cut and leg-glanced successive balls to the boundary in Rushworth’s fourth over.

These runs got Lyth off to a swift start and he went on to unveil a series of glorious cover drives before he was first out for 85 with the total on 146.

Durham conceded an opening stand of 183 against Hampshire and still won, but while wickets tend to fall in clusters at Riverside, there was no sign of it happening at Headingley.

Although he was as economical as ever, Davies was left still searching for his first wicket of the season as Joe Sayers showed good judgement in leaving balls which swung in and narrowly missed off stump.

Lyth was the dominant partner, driving two successive balls from Plunkett to the cover boundary to reach 50 off 74 balls with 11 fours. Anthony McGrath needed 147 balls to reach the same mark, possibly costing Yorkshire the chance to reach 400 in 110 overs for maximum batting points. They still need 46 in ten overs to gain the fourth of the five points.

But McGrath’s unbroken stand of 131 with Jacques Rudolph ensured that Yorkshire are in a position to dictate the game.

Ian Blackwell carried the biggest threat for Durham as he bowled superbly to remove both openers and had figures of two for 18 in 14 overs until Rudolph swept and drove him for two fours in an over.

Blackwell had Lyth caught at slip by Michael Di Venuto for a very impressive 85 and Sayers fell for 63 when he was taken at short leg by Will Smith.

Blackwell also beat Rudolph several times, but Durham were out of luck all day, especially in the last half hour as they stuck gamely to their task.

An excellent swinging yorker from Rushworth struck Rudolph on the boot but had done just too much to earn an lbw, then McGrath survived a confident appeal for a bat-pad catch off Blackwell.

On 67 Rudolph drove Davies in the air just short of mid-off and in the final over McGrath would have been run out had Borthwick’s shy coming in from deepish mid-off hit the stumps.

It just wasn’t Durham’s day and they will have to bat well to avoid their first championship defeat since August, 2008.

SCORECARD

Yorkshire v Durham
At Headingley Carnegie. Yorkshire Won Toss

Yorkshire First Innings Close
A Lyth c Di Venuto b Blackwell 85
J J Sayers c W R Smith b Blackwell 63
A McGrath not out 73
J A Rudolph not out 68
Extras (lb5 w2 nb8 pens 0) 15
Total 2 wkts (100 overs) 304
Fall: 1-146 2-173
To Bat: A W Gale, J M Bairstow, A U Rashid,
D J Wainwright, T L Best, S A Patterson, O
J Hannon-Dalby.
Bowling: Davies 15-4-31-0. Rushworth 13-
3-53-0. Plunkett 17-2-89-0. Stokes 5-0-31-0.
Benkenstein 12-6-21-0. Blackwell 27-12-42-
2. Borthwick 11-0-32-0.