Yorkshire's stirring victory over Essex at Chelmsford on Saturday was all the more remarkable in that it was achieved despite Pakistan leg-spinner, Danish Kaneria, turning in the best match bowling figures against the county in 15 years.

Kaneria's 13 wickets for 186 runs was the best since Franklyn Stephenson grabbed 13 for 75 for Nottinghamshire at Headingley in 1989, a game which the visitors won by ten wickets.

Although that result may have seemed inevitable, Yorkshire have a history of coming out on top in matches in which their opponents have had outstanding individual success and Stephenson was also involved in the most astonishing example of this.

The year before the West Indian's Headingley triumph, Yorkshire were at Trent Bridge in late season and Stephenson became the only player in the history of the game to score a century in each innings against the Tykes and capture 11 wickets.

In the first innings he scored 111 and took four for 105 and in the second he made 117 and captured seven for 117, but, incredibly, he still finished up on the losing side, everyone chipping in something for Yorkshire.

The only time that Yorkshire were able to match such an epic individual show was in 1906 at Bath when George Hirst made exactly the same score in each innings as Stephenson and enjoyed figures of six for 70 and five for 45.

Yorkshire's win at Chelmsford was not the first occasion, either, that they have shrugged off a great solo effort to come away with the spoils.

Only five years' ago, Australian Stuart Law hammered a century in each innings (159 and 113 not out) but so did Michael Vaughan for Yorkshire (100 and 151) and in the end left-arm spinner Ian Fisher mopped up the Essex second innings.

The last three occasions on which opposing batsmen have chalked up a century in each innings have seen the results all go Yorkshire's way because before Law and Stephenson, Glamorgan's Alan Jones smacked 132 and 156 not out at Middlesbrough in 1976. The game appeared to be heading for a draw but there was the rare sight after tea on the final day of Geoff Boycott suddenly going beserk and blasting an unbeaten 156 in cavalier fashion.

Essex has turned into a happy hunting ground for Yorkshire who have now won six of their last seven Championship matches in the county with the other one being drawn, and this latest victory brought Yorkshire their first double over Essex since 1961 - although they have not always played them twice every season.

The first of the two encounters in 1961 was at Harrogate when Essex were undone by one of Yorkshire's lesser lights, Middlesbrough-born off-spinner, Alfred Bainbridge.

Unfortunately for Bainbridge, he was understudy for Ray Illingworth and did not get the opportunities which he deserved, playing only five times between 1961-63. But Bainbridge was almost unplayable at Harrogate where he captured six wickets in each innings and twice sent back Trevor Bailey.

A fine coach, Bainbridge managed the Joe Lumb XI in the late 80s and played for Middlesbrough and Saltburn in the North Yorkshire and South Durham League until his late 50s.