YORKSHIRE continued their dominant start to the ongoing Specsavers County Championship match against Durham at Headingley, with Alex Lees posting an unbeaten century and passing 1,000 runs for the season.
The title-chasing hosts lost Gary Ballance for 71 and Andrew Gale for 17 during the afternoon as they advanced from 110-1 off 31 overs at lunch to 223-3 from 64 at tea.
Lees and Ballance completed a stand of 163 inside 43 overs for the second wicket before the latter batsman was caught behind off Barry McCarthy as the score fell to 168-2 in the 47th over.
Durham captain Paul Collingwood took the catch as he stood in behind the stumps for Michael Richardson, who suffered a hand injury and went off at the end of the 41st over.
On reaching 84, Lees posted 1,000 Championship runs in the season for the first time in his career before going on to reach his first century at Headingley since the corresponding fixture in 2014 off 171 balls in the penultimate over of the session.
Sandwiched in between, Gale was bowled around his legs by Graham Onions – who had removed opener Adam Lyth for just two in the opening session – as the score fell to 190-3 in the 53rd over.
Jake Lehmann reached tea on 17 not out alongside Lees.
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