YORKSHIRE are on course for a crucial Specsavers County Championship victory having set Durham 421 to win late on day three at Headingley yesterday before taking three cheap wickets.

The champions enjoyed a hugely dominant day, including an unbeaten century and 1,000 runs for the season for Adam Lyth and a 50th wicket of the campaign for Jack Brooks.

Yorkshire built on their first-innings lead of 195 with 225-2 declared after lunch before reducing Durham to 39-3 second time around in the 16 overs before close.

At Trent Bridge, leaders Middlesex closed day three on 48-3 chasing 235 to beat Nottinghamshire, meaning today could see Yorkshire take a giant stride towards a third straight title.

Day three started with Durham subsiding from 205-4 in their first innings to 265 all out, losing their last six wickets for 38 runs against the second new ball.

Brooks took three in 19 balls to finish with 4-76, while Ryan Sidebottom, Tim Bresnan and Steve Patterson finished the innings with two wickets each.

Unfortunately, Patterson had to leave the ground before play for family reasons, but he returned to action at the start of Durham’s second innings and picked up the third wicket to fall.

Brooks struck in the fourth over when he got Mark Stoneman caught at mid-off, the 350th wicket of his first-class career, and again in the sixth when Keaton Jennings edged behind as the score slipped to 18-2.

Patterson then had Jack Burnham lbw as the score fell to 31-3.

Lyth, who hit 114 off 143 balls, said: "It was a great team performance really.

"We knew the new ball was around the corner this morning and it was going to be key. The way the lads bowled was exceptional. Hopefully we can do that again and get the win.

"The new ball is so, so key. There was a bit of cloud cover this morning and Brooksy was absolutely fantastic.

“Ryan also got a couple of wickets, and he was probably the pick of the bowlers really.”

Lyth shared an opening stand of 185 inside 45 overs either side of tea with Alex Lees, who made 88 as he fell short of becoming the first man to ever score two centuries in a first-class match at Headingley.

Both men hit two sixes in their innings, all off spin.

Lees slog swept his two off Ryan Pringle’s off-spin. Lyth did likewise and hit the other over extra cover off Scott Borthwick’s leggies.

Lyth added: "It was a great day for myself. I felt really good, and it was nice to go and get a big score.

"Myself and Alex have done well for a number of years now, and I think that was our highest partnership of the season.”

Earlier, Durham fell from 227-4 in their first innings before Yorkshire opted against enforcing the follow-on with so much time left in the match.

After play started with Lyth and Azeem Rafiq bowling spin in gloomy light, Brooks trapped Graham Clark lbw, had Michael Richardson caught at second slip by Lyth and trapped Ryan Pringle lbw.

Sidebottom bowled Burnham for 49 and Graham Onions, the latter to wrap up the innings, while Bresnan had Barry McCarthy caught behind.

Onions ended the day as nightwatchman alongside Borthwick.