YORKSHIRE showed the stuff of champions to stay one point behind Middlesex in their pursuit of a third successive title yesterday.

They will be able to call on Liam Plunkett, David Willey and Adil Rashid for the home game against Somerset on Monday, and skipper Andrew Gale said selection might be influenced by the serious illness of Steve Patterson's father.

Patterson was absent for most of the third day against Durham, but it didn't prevent Yorkshire from producing what Gale called “our best all-round performance of the year.”

He added: “To get 460 on a pretty tough pitch with plenty of moisture in it was very good and our bowling has been outstanding.

“Everything is pointing to a Lord's finale. Middlesex are desperate to win it and we are desperate to win it three times in a row.”

One of Durham's selection posers on Monday will be whether to recall Stuart Poynter after Michael Richardson enjoyed one of his better knocks yesterday.

He fell for 33 when he chased a wide one to give Ryan Sidebottom his fourth wicket after taking three early ones to have Durham reeling on 63 for six.

Richardson joined Graham Clark at that point and they knuckled down to put on 49 before Clark fell for 25 for the second time in the match.

He showed the value of bringing in a player not dragged down by recent performances as he built on his promising performance in the first innings.

But again he failed to go on, pushing forward and edging Tim Bresnan behind.

Nightwatchman Graham Onions fell in the day's fourth over when he spooned a catch to cover, then Scott Borthwick and Paul Collingwood joined Jack Burnham in being entered into the scorebook as lbw Sidebottom nine.

Collingwood played no stroke to a ball swinging in, but things became a little easier when Sidebottom rested and the seventh-wicket pair survived for 18 overs.

Pringle had a top score of 34 in nine innings before he was dropped and it was a surprise when he was recalled for this game after not being named in the squad the day before the game.

He lost Barry McCarthy when the Irishman offered catching practice to Adam Lyth at second slip. Then Jack Brooks wrapped it up by splattering Chris Rushworth's stumps.

Sidebottom, whose for 34 were his best figures of the season, said: “It will boil down to who is playing the best cricket but the pressure is on Middlesex to keep going and we know how to win.

“Over the last few games we have grown in confidence as a team and with our coach going at the end of the season it would be great to send him off on a winning note.”