Durham relegated after stunning Headingley defeat

George Hill finished the season with 51 Championship wickets

Rothesay County Championship Division One, Headingley (day four)

Durham 346 & 85: Bedingham 28; Hill 4-14, Bess 4-22

Yorkshire 475: Agarwal 175, Hill 88, Lyth 69; Raine 5-76, Ghafari 4-119

Yorkshire (22 pts) beat Durham (4 pts) by and innings and 44 runs

Match scorecard

Durham threw away a golden chance to secure their Division One status in the County Championship as they were relegated after failing to bat out the final two-and-a-bit sessions against Yorkshire at Headingley.

The visitors started their second innings 129 runs in arrears with a minimum of 89 overs left in the match against a Yorkshire side, whose place in the top flight had earlier been secured by events elsewhere.

With relegation rivals Hampshire losing to Surrey at 10.55am, Yorkshire were safe - and that result gave Durham a lifeline.

Draw the game and they too would stay in Division One for next season.

But they crumbled from 29-1 to 85 all out inside 45 overs during a remarkable afternoon collapse which saw George Hill and Dom Bess shine with four wickets apiece.

Yorkshire's fourth win of the season - by an innings and 44 runs - consolidated their position in seventh place, with Durham losing for the sixth time to join Worcestershire in Division Two next year.

Play started at Headingley with Yorkshire advancing their first innings from 465-9 to 475 all out.

Jordan Thompson moved from 44 to 50 and was last man out to Ben Raine, drilling a catch to long-off to give the Durham seamer excellent figures of 5-76.

When Thompson reached his fifty off 112 balls, he tapped the white rose on his chest with his bat in an obvious acknowledgement of his love for his home county ahead of a winter move to Warwickshire.

Having scored a first-innings 101, Raine became the fifth man in Durham's first-class history to hit a century and return a five-wicket haul in the same match.

And with their task clear, there was absolutely no need for adventure with the bat in their second innings.

They reached lunch at 27-1 in 23 overs, losing Emilio Gay caught behind off the inside-edge pushing forwards at Hill.

But then came the drama as Durham lost their last nine wickets for 56.

Bess had Alex Lees caught behind for 18, pushing forwards just after lunch, a beauty of a delivery to the left-hander.

And when Thompson's seam accounted for Ben McKinney and David Bedingham, lbw and caught behind in successive overs, Durham were 62-4 in the 35th.

Hill trapped Ollie Robinson lbw with one that kept low shortly afterwards and struck again in his next over to have Graham Clark caught at backward point for his 50th Championship wicket of the season.

Durham were 76-6 and it took less than four more overs for the game to finish in deteriorating light.

Raine miscued to mid-off as he tried to hit Bess over the top before Matthew Potts was caught at short-leg and Daniel Hogg edged behind - all three wickets falling in the 44th over.

Will Rhodes was then trapped lbw by Hill to finish the game, the last four wickets falling for two runs in only 10 balls.

Yorkshire were jubilant, especially Hill with 4-14 and Bess 4-22, while Durham were disconsolate, and it will take some time to work out how they let this one get away.

Match report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network, supported by Rothesay

'A total capitulation' - reaction

Durham head coach Ryan Campbell:

"I can't explain it. It's just a total capitulation. Unfortunately, it's happened a few times this year. The pressure went on and our blokes couldn't stop it.

"Obviously, there's a room full of gutted people. We were handed a lifeline and we didn't take it.

"I've always said that we bat at our best when we look to score. When you look to score, you get yourself into better positions and make better decisions.

"I think, obviously, there was a very defensive mindset of trying to get through. What then happens is that if you lose a couple of wickets, you haven't gone anywhere.

"Today was one of those days that will probably go down in Durham's folklore of hanging our heads in shame. We're going to have to rebuild and come back bigger and better next year."

Yorkshire head coach Anthony McGrath:

"We knew this morning that there were still a few permutations that could happen with the Hampshire game still going on. But our focus was to bat for as long as we could this morning and try and bowl Durham out.

"Once the Hampshire result was through, Durham just had to get through the day. The pitch was pretty flat, and most observers watching the first few days thought that would be the case.

"But, testament to the lads and their spirit. I thought we bowled really well before lunch. We didn't let them get away. And, yeah, things just escalated very quickly.

"For us, it's a great way to finish the season. Getting a win at Headingley, securing our Division One status, I think there's a lot of positives to take from the last game and build for next season."