YORKSHIRE suffered a rare off day yesterday as Durham seized a 301-run lead, and the initiative, heading into day four at Emirates Riverside.

A day which started so promisingly for the champions with the run out of Michael Richardson amidst five successive maidens, leaving Durham at 105-4 and still 46 in arrears, ended on a downer.

Keaton Jennings posted a career best 185 not out to underpin an imposing 452-8, to which Bradford-born Usman Arshad also contributed a career best 84.

Left-handed opener Jennings is now the only man in either division of the Specsavers County Championship to have topped 700 runs this season.

He shared century partnerships for the fifth and seventh wickets with Paul Collingwood (61) and Arshad either side of lunch and either side of tea respectively.

Yorkshire spilt a couple of important catches and looked ragged in the field as the day drew to a close.

"I thought we started brilliantly,” said coach Jason Gillespie, who never shies away from a fourth day run chase.

“In the first hour, we were top-drawer, and we didn't get as many rewards as we'd have liked to go with that run out. After that, we probably weren't at our very best.

"But we have to give credit to the Durham team. We always know they're good scrappers and work their butts off. The way they applied themselves out there, we have to say 'well played' to our opposition.”

Given Yorkshire’s depleted bowling attack in this game, something like we saw yesterday was always a danger.

"Ideally you have all your players fit and firing, but it's not to be,” added Gillespie. “That's certainly not an excuse.

“The lads who came in are good enough. If you are picked, you are required to do a job. Unfortunately, we just haven't quite nailed it in the second innings.”

Collingwood, trying to uppercut Josh Shaw, was dropped by a leaping Andrew Hodd on 19 before Alex Lees spilt a slip chance off Ben Coad with Arshad on 33.

Coad had started the day by running out Richardson with a direct hit at the non-striker’s end from square-leg following a mix-up with Jennings.

The 22-year-old seamer picked up his maiden Championship wicket after tea when he had Arshad caught behind to break a 156-stand with Jennings.

Arshad, who started life as a junior cricketer at Bingley Congs, had an unsuccessful trial with Yorkshire before being spotted in Dubai by Durham whilst touring there with Great Horton Church.

He smacked Adam Lyth over long-on for six in the final over of the afternoon and later lofted him straight down the ground for another maximum.

But Jennings was the star as Durham gained real belief that they could become only the second county in the last two and a half seasons alongside Middlesex to beat Yorkshire in the Championship.

Kane Williamson, Tim Bresnan and Steve Patterson were the other Yorkshire wicket-takers, with Patterson the standout bowler with exceptional figures of 2-62 from 32 overs.

While Yorkshire will remain confident of chasing a target today – and as things stand it is by no means out of range – they will have to be wary of the uneven bounce which has been evident throughout the fixture.