“We’re Yorkshire and we’re trying to win games of cricket.”

That is the combative message coming from the White Rose dressing room ahead of tomorrow’s final day of their LV= County Championship match against title rivals Durham at Scarborough.

Having been asked to follow on 299 runs behind at lunchtime, a brilliant 151 not out from Phil Jaques and an unbeaten 90 by Kane Williamson has given the Division One leaders an outside sniff of the most unlikely victory.

Jaques and Williamson, the New Zealander who was at the crease at the start and end of the day, shared an unbroken stand of 257 for the second wicket inside 60 overs after the ealy loss of Adam Lyth to take the score to 276-1 from 65 overs at close.

That means a deficit of just 23 runs with a minimum of 96 overs to bowl tomorrow.

Former Australian Test opener Jaques, who has now scored two hundreds in his last three matches, was the man who delivered the defiant message.

“The game’s still well and truly open,” he said after reaching the 42nd hundred of his first-class career.

“There’s a lot of rough to work with and they’ve got a lot of left-handers. We’ve also got a leg-spinner.

“If we can get a decent little lead, we might have a crack at them in the afternoon.

“They were well on top making us follow on but we’ve pretty much knocked over their lead now.

“We’re Yorkshire and we’re trying to win games of cricket. If it gets to a point where we’re not scoring quickly enough to build a lead, so be it.”

A Yorkshire win was the furthest idea from people’s minds this morning when they slipped from 182-3 overnight to 274 all out in reply to 573.

Williamson (84) and Jonny Bairstow, who struck 82, started the day by completing a fourth-wicket partnership of 104 before a loss of 7-63 put the hosts under the cosh.

Scott Borthwick, Ben Stokes, Jamie Harrison and Mark Wood all finished with two wickets apiece, while the run-out of Gary Ballance going for two off his first ball summed up a dismal morning.