Yorkshire were unable to offer any real resistance yesterday as they gently subsided to a heavy defeat against bottom-of-the-table Durham at Scarborough in an embarrassing performance which virtually snuffed out their chances of promotion to the Championship's First Division.

Durham declared shortly before lunch on 357-9 which left Yorkshire to make 501 for victory.

That was only one run short of the Championship's highest successful run-chase by Nottinghamshire against Middlesex at Trent Bridge in 1925.

Matthew Wood and Phil Jaques began at a cracking pace more suited to a Twenty-20 match but once they were parted at 98 the rot set in and they were bowled out by spinners Gareth Breese and Graeme Bridge for 290.

Durham's winning margin was 210 runs which was suitable retribution for their 320 runs caning by Yorkshire at Riverside earlier in the season.

Wood and Jaques made 18 together in the five overs before lunch but after the interval they set about Neil Killeen and Liam Plunkett, Jaques slamming five fours from eight balls and Wood pulling Plunkett over mid-wicket for six.

The first 11 overs had produced 73 runs but trouble was in store as Breese entered the attack and had Jaques nudging a catch off the wicketkeeper's gloves to Marcus North at second slip.

Jaques' 53 - his second half century of the match - came off 50 balls with 11 fours and Wood soon followed him back as he chipped Breese's slower ball to deep mid-on.

From that point on, batsmen surrendered tamely to Breese and Bridge, apart from Richard Pyrah, who hit a gutsy 34 before being bowled by Breese, and the admirable Ismail Dawood who again gave an excellent account of himself in compiling a sensible 75 from 109 balls with 11 boundaries.

It was Dawood's highest score for Yorkshire and had he not had a rush of blood against Plunkett right at the end he would have remained unbeaten in his last four Championship and three totesport League innings.

West Indian Breese bowled continuously for 35 overs from the pavilion end to finish with 5-110 and match figures of 10-151.

Updated: 10:10 Saturday, September 04, 2004