JONNY Bairstow’s magnificent 174 fired Yorkshire to a record chase of 336 as they beat Durham by six wickets at Headingley to take a significant step towards the Royal London one-day Cup knockout stages.

The England batsman, hoping to graduate from squad man to Champions Trophy starter next month, hammered a scintillating career best score off 113 balls as the Vikings responded superbly to a daunting total of 335-5.

Bairstow shared a second-wicket stand of 189 inside 26 overs with Joe Root, who made 55.

It was the pair’s final match before England’s two-match one-day series against Ireland this weekend, although they will return to county action next week.

Bairstow posted his third career List A century, and his second for Yorkshire after 114 in a 40-over clash with Middlesex at Lord’s in 2011.

He also scored 123 for the Lions against New Zealand A in 2014, and here he hit 16 fours and seven leg-side sixes on the way to Yorkshire’s highest individual score at Headingley.

Both teams struggled with the ball on an excellent pitch, although Yorkshire crucially managed to put the brakes on inside the last eleven overs of the Durham innings before securing the win with 2.2 overs remaining.

South African Stephen Cook and Michael Richardson hit 106 off 114 balls and 100 not out off 87 for Durham.

But the visitors will be frustrated at not posting a total of 350 plus.

They had reached 248-1 in the 40th over before losing 4-32, including one of them to the impressive seam of Matthew Waite.

The all-rounder was one of two changes to the Yorkshire team from Monday’s Roses win over Lancashire, with him and Steve Patterson replacing rested England duo David Willey and Liam Plunkett.

He made the initial breakthrough to get Keaton Jennings (72) brilliantly caught at deep mid-wicket by Peter Handscomb as Durham fell to 124-1 in the 21st over.

Cook shared another 124 stand for the second wicket with Richardson to give Durham a platform they did not make the most of.

Waite had Graham Clark caught at mid-wicket on the way to 2-53 from 10 overs.

And although 36 runs came off the last three overs, the signs were there that a strong Yorkshire batting line-up would also prosper. And so it proved.

The Vikings lost Adam Lyth in the ninth over of their chase when he pulled Chris Rushworth to deep square-leg as the score fell to 60-1.

From then, it was a walk in the park for the hosts, with the only moment of panic coming when Bairstow was dropped at long-off by Cook on 71 off debutant spinner George Harding.

Bairstow mixed immense power with innovation on the way his 50 off 32 balls, 100 off 70 and 150 off 97.

By the time Root reached a contrasting 60-ball fifty, his second in three one-day matches for Yorkshire this season, Yorkshire had moved to 235-1 in the 32nd over.

The pair fell in successive James Weighell overs – Bairstow caught behind and Root chopped on – as the score fell to 254-3 in the 36th over.

But it was too little, too late for Durham as Gary Ballance and Handscomb (47 not out) shared 71 for the fourth wicket.

The Vikings face Worcestershire at New Road on Friday.