YORKSHIRE'S promotion hopes took a severe jolt at Riverside where Durham pulled off a famous three-wicket victory which also brought them their first Championship double against any county since acquiring first class status in 1992.

Had Yorkshire been successful yesterday they would have risen to second place in the table but now they are wedged firmly in the middle with some tough matches coming up in the latter part of the season.

This was Durham's first Championship victory over Yorkshire on home soil and how they deserved it after determinedly going about their task of reaching a 251 target in 87 overs which they achieved with 7.3 overs to spare.

For Yorkshire, defeat was a particularly bitter pill to swallow after they had amassed a first innings score of 448 but in the end their bowlers were simply not up to the task of bowling out Durham when it mattered.

And nobody was more ineffective than Darren Gough who learned at lunchtime that he and Yorkshire captain Anthony McGrath had both been included in England's squad of 12 for the first Test against South Africa next week.

Gough's contribution to the game was four runs in the first innings, a first ball duck in the second and a single wicket in each of Durham's innings at a total cost of 145 runs. On the evidence of this game he still has a lot of sharpening up to do.

Victory was almost out of Yorkshire's grasp when Gough struck by bowling Vince Wells leg stump to leave Durham on 229-6 but luck appeared to be running out on the home side in the following over when Graeme Bridge's fierce return drive brushed Steve Kirby's fingers and thudded into the stumps with Phil Mustard out of his crease.

Durham at this stage required 19 and Shoaib Akhtar put the result beyond any doubt by bludgeoning a massive six over long on off Gough and England's strike bowler suffered the final humiliation in his next over as the Pakistani drove him back over his head and won the match with a single to third man.

Yorkshire began the final day on 103-6 but were bowled out for 129, which would still have left them favourites had Durham not knuckled down so well that not one batsman let the side down.

Both Kirby and Ryan Sidebottom bowled as wholeheartedly as ever but McGrath brought himself on too early it may have been better if Andy Gray had entered the attack earlier with his off-spin on a wearing pitch.

Updated: 11:01 Saturday, July 19, 2003