IT was a day for the beach at Scarborough, but 5,300 preferred the cricket, only to find they might be joining the bucket-and-spaders tomorrow.

Sandcastles would enjoy more permanence than the batsmen on a bouncy North Marine Road pitch on which 20 wickets fell on the first day.

It was the biggest County Championship crowd in the country this season, but if they expected a high-scoring four-day match at the traditionally run-laden ground they were disappointed.

Durham, without Paul Collingwood, succumbed for 156 in reply to 162 and in five overs Yorkshire reached ten without loss in their second innings.

A big crowd is good for the much-loved festival; a short match is not and it is to be hoped the surface flattens after a day under the sun.

A little more application would also help. After the glut of one-day cricket no-one could build an innings on a pitch which offered just enough movement for bowlers to find the edge.

Yorkshire's last-wicket stand of 67 was easily the highest of the day, extending their innings to 43 overs, while Durham survived two balls longer.

The most successful bowlers were Chris Rushworth (four for 37) and Ryan Sidebottom (four for 44). Both relished coming down the hill, while Graham Onions and Steve Patterson bowled well to take three operating up the slope.

If Durham are serious about releasing Gordon Muchall, who held three catches at first slip but was out first ball, they need to blood young batsmen.

But with Graham Clark making only his second appearance as a four-day opener it was not ideal to have to give Esh Winning's Jack Burnham his debut against such testing opposition.

Clark made six and 18-year-old Burnham a four-ball duck. There was no beginner's luck for him as he received the ball of the day from Liam Plunkett, starting on leg and middle and hitting off stump.

Durham, unwilling to be saddled with such large debts as Yorkshire, have cut to the bone, while the Tykes had the luxury of being able to leave out leading wicket-taker Jack Brooks and talented all-rounder Will Rhodes.

Yorkshire chose to bat, but with the bowling displaying more discipline than the batting, Durham had them reeling on 95 for nine shortly after lunch when Rushworth took two wickets in two balls.

Jamie Harrison took the new ball in preference to Onions and struck the first blow when he had Andrew Hodd lbw.

Rushworth bowled Alex Lees off an inside edge and found Gale's edge for Scott Borthwick to cling on after dropping the Yorkshire captain on one.

Jack Leaning played back and edged a ball from John Hastings he could have left, while something similar from Onions accounted for Gary Ballance, although he was less culpable.

Glenn Maxwell looked capable of reviving Yorkshire from 54 for five, playing some fine strokes in reaching 36.

But just before lunch he tried to swot a short, leg-side ball from Onions to long leg and edged to Michael Richardson.

The tenth-wicket stand between Tim Bresnan and Sidebottom equalled that beween Karl Carver and Matthew Fisher in Wednesday's Royal London Cup game against Somerset after Yorkshire had suffered a similar Scarborough collapse.

Although there were six slip catches, Borthwick was guilty of his second miss with Bresnan on 41. He was finally bowled for 47, swiping at a big in-swinger when Harrison went round the wicket.

Durham made a steady start but then lost three wickets on 29, both openers going carelessly.

Clark dug in, scoring only two in the first nine overs before he sliced a drive off Bresnan over gully for four.

Trying something similar off the next ball he was caught at point, then Mark Stoneman pulled Patterson straight to long leg.

Muchall, promoted to four, played back to the next ball, which nipped back to have him lbw.

Although Ryan Pringle struck some powerful blows in top-scoring with 40, only Borthwick hinted at permanence. His 63-ball vigil for 19 ended when he was lbw trying to work a Sidebottom swinger to mid-wicket.

He may have been distracted by some small boys running along the boundary. The fun of the festival is all very well, but not if it contributes to a regrettably swift conclusion.