COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE, Headingley:
CLOSE OF PLAY, DAY THREE: Durham 178 and 288-7, Yorkshire 313(Yorkshire 6 pts, Durham 3pts)
10-13 July 2009 (Play starts 1100 BST)

Michael Di Venuto took his season's Championship run haul to 750

Michael Di Venuto led a spirited rearguard effort as county champions Durham fought hard at Headingley to avoid a first defeat of the season.

Resuming at 26-1 in their second innings, still needing 109 runs to make Yorkshire bat again, the Division One leaders looked in trouble.

But Di Venuto hit 84, well supported by Kyle Coetzer (38), Dale Benkenstein (36) and Ian Blackwell (32).

Durham now lead by 155 going into the last day, with three wickets intact.

Having trailed by 135 on the first innings, Durham refused to make life easy for Yorkshire as the home side search for their first Championship victory in over a year.

The day had begun on an encouraging note for Yorkshire when Durham nightwatchman Mark Davies was caught behind off Matthew Hoggard.

But the remainder of the session belonged to the Division One leaders as Di Venuto and Coetzer dug in.

The stubborn third-wicket pair had pushed the score on to 125-2 by lunch. And, although Coetzer survived a sharp chance to Joe Sayers at second slip off Ajmal Shahzad in the first over after the interval, the arrears were wiped out.

It took two wickets in the space of nine deliveries to swing the game Yorkshire's way again, as Hoggard hit Coetzer's off-stump before Tim Bresnan forced Di Venuto to chop hard into his middle stump in the following over.

At 158-4, Durham were only 23 in front and, 20 runs later, Hoggard struck again by dismissing Gordon Muchall lbw moving across his stumps.

But Durham continued to show great determination, Benkenstein and Blackwell further frustrating Yorkshire with a 53-run stand in 25 overs.

Blackwell then played loosely outside off stump to be excellently caught behind by a diving Bairstow. And Adil Rashid, having made little impact with his leg-spin, finally picked up a crucial wicket with seven overs remaining by trapping Benkenstein lbw.

Phil Mustard is still there on finished on 29 along with Liam Plunkett, who survived being yorked by Rana Naved-ul-Hasan no-ball.

But both sides will go into the final day harbouring hopes of going on to win this grim tussle.

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