County Championship: Yorkshire edge opening day against Durham

James Wharton, George Hill and Dom Bess all hit half-centuries at Chester-le-Street as Yorkshire had the better of a hard-fought opening day against Durham.

Durham’s Australian overseas seamer Brendan Doggett impressed with 4-69, but Yorkshire closed on 295-8 when bad light ended play 15 overs early.

Number three Wharton made 69 at the start of the day before Hill added 64 and Bess backed up his second-innings century in last weekend’s win over Worcestershire with a more rapid 57 not.

After Yorkshire old boy Alex Lees won the toss for Durham, who then reached 43 before openers Adam Lyth (28) and Fin Bean (15) both fell in the 18th over to Doggett, who then had Dawid Malan caught at first slip for 18.

Captain Jonny Bairstow contributed 22 in a brief 27-ball innings in which took 11 balls to get off the mark, but then hit former England team-mate Matt Potts for five fours in six balls.

But Bairstow was trapped lbw playing back against Ben Raine then Wharton was dropped in the slips on 52.

That did not cost Durham too much as the right-hander fell shortly afterwards when he pulled Doggett out to deep midwicket on 165-5 – and Yorkshire lost a sixth when their former all-rounder Will Rhodes had Mathew Revis caught at first slip. But when it seemed as if Durham’s bowlers would assert themselves, Hill and Bess had other ideas.

After Wharton had reached his fifty off 85 balls earlier in the day, Hill got to his off 71 and Bess 62, the latter’s including a pulled six.

Just before the light closed in, Raine struck twice in two balls with the new ball, getting Hill caught at second slip and Jordan Thompson at mid-on.

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