COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE, Headingley:
Yorkshire 425 & 200-4 beat Warwickshire 253 & 371 by six wickets
Yorkshire 23 pts, Warwickshire 4 pts
Match scorecard

Rudolph has now plundered 743 runs in 10 Championship games this summer

Yorkshire stretched 21 points clear in the County Championship after taking all day to finish off Warwickshire for a six-wicket win at Headingley.

Rikki Clarke held the leaders up with an unbeaten 127, his highest first-class score in three seasons with the Bears, as Warwickshire amassed 371.

That set Yorkshire the testing target of 200 to win in 37 overs.

And, after Jacques Rudolph (80) paved the way, Jonny Bairstow's 64 in 61 balls saw the Tykes home on 200-4.

In the end, Yorkshire wrapped up their fourth Championship win of the season with 14 balls to spare.

And they were kept waiting so long largely due to a magnificent unbeaten knock from Clarke, who battled away for over six hours without ever looking in the slightest trouble.

Clarke was on 51 and Ateeq Javid 37 when Warwickshire set out on the final morning only 21 ahead at 193-3.

Rashid soon struck by having Javid caught behind for 48 and, when Richard Pyrah surprisingly shared the new ball with Steven Patterson, he responded by ripping out Ambrose's off stump in spectacular fashion.

Warwickshire were then 244-6 but were far from finished because Clarke never looked like surrendering his wicket and Neil Carter soon helped him to push the score on.

Early in the afternoon, Adil Rashid collected his fifth wicket of the innings (and ninth of the match) when Carter fell LBW.

But Clarke completed a century of the highest quality off 235 balls, with six fours and two sixes, Tahir giving him splendid support in a partnership of 75 in 13 overs before lofting Patterson to McGrath at mid-off.

Adil Rashid has taken 17 wickets in his last two County Championship games

Rankin was run out before Jim Troughton came in as last man to resume his innings after being forced to retire hurt the previous evening when struck on the forehead by a bouncer from Tino Best.

But he did not add to his 17, edging a drive at Patterson to Rudolph at second slip, to leave Clarke, unbeaten in the match (having scored 46 off 122 balls in the first innings), without any further partners.

Clarke gave the Bears hope of saving the game. But, in the end, Yorkshire paced their innings to perfection.

Yorkshire got off to a shaky start when the country's leading run scorer Adam Lyth was caught in the slips off Boyd Rankin in the second over.

And the Irish pace bowler also trapped Anthony McGrath leg before to make it 47-2. But Rudolph, captaining the side in the absence of Andrew Gale on England Lions duty, and Bairstow adopted aggressive tactics which left Warwickshire in no doubt of their intentions.

A further 111 were required off 16 overs when the last hour arrived and this had been whittled down to 74 off 11 when Rudolph was run out off Steffan Piolet's first ball.

He and Bairstow went for a second but Rudolph could not beat Rankin's throw to wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose.

Bairstow drove Darren Maddy for a straight six in an over which cost 13 but the dismissal of Gerard Brophy, bowled sweeping at Tahir, meant 39 were wanted off seven.

But, running brilliantly between the wickets, Bairstow and Rashid soon made Warwickshire realise the game was up.

And Bairstow and Rashid received a standing ovation from the fans when they returned to the new pavilion after a match-winning unbeaten partnership of 39 in just under four overs.

Acting Yorkshire skipper Jacques Rudolph said:

"We have a very young team who are showing a lot of maturity and responsibility. The Championship race is still not over, however.

"We have to play Nottinghamshire twice and I think that will decide it.

"From the start of our innings I thought that if one of us could get 80 or 90 and receive a bit of support from one other player then we would always be in the game.

"I thought Bairstow played a fine innings and showed a maturity beyond his years."

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