Yorkshire face a hugely significant day tomorrow in their LV= County Championship title challenge because they need another 242 runs to avoid the follow-on against Durham at Scarborough.

Despite a dominant unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 75 between overseas player Kane Williamson and Jonny Bairstow, which recovered the score from 107-3 to 182-3 from 52 overs at the close today, Durham will be the happier of the two sides at the halfway stage.

The visitors posted a mammoth 573 in their first innings, which means Yorkshire start day three a long way from safety in good batting conditions.

A second defeat of the season would really open up the title race.

The leg-spin of Scott Borthwick would seem to be Yorkshire’s biggest obstacle because, in claiming the wicket of Phil Jaques just before tea, he was Durham’s most threatening bowler in his 12-over spell.

He was at his most dangerous shortly before and after tea.

The hosts then enjoyed their most dominant period of the day through until close thanks to Williamson’s 76 not out on his home debut and Bairstow’s unbeaten 42.

Durham batsman Michael Richardson became his side’s third centurion in the early stages of the afternoon session, following opener Mark Stoneman and all-rounder Ben Stokes.

It was not far off being four as captain Paul Collingwood reached 81 before becoming the first wicket of the day when he was trapped lbw by Ryan Sidebottom, who finished with 4-85.

Richardson batted superb-ly with the tail to reach a maiden ton, which included two sixes over wide long-on off Williamson’s off-spin. The second brought up three figures.

The son of former South Africa wicketkeeper and current ICC chief executive, Dave Richardson, shared 49 for the eighth-wicket with Mark Wood, 84 for the ninth with Jamie Harrison and 26 for the last with Chris Rushworth. He finished with 102.

Yorkshire lost Adam Lyth early in their reply, brilliantly caught at fourth slip by a diving Stokes off Rush-worth with the new ball, before Jaques (36) and Williamson steadied the ship with a partnership of 54.

But Jaques fell caught at short-leg to a spitting delivery from Borthwick – only the second ball he had bowled – and then Andrew Gale was trapped lbw by left-armer Harrison just after tea.

Williamson, who recovered well from a debut duck at Trent Bridge last week, and Bairstow batted with great authority for the best part of 26 overs to finish a tough day on a high.