YORKSHIRE skipper Andrew Gale led the defiance by a trio of southpaws yesterday as he made an unbeaten 101 to achieve a draw in the rain-shortened match at Chester-le-Street.

Adam Lyth made his season's best score of 69 and the third left-hander, Gary Ballance, contributed 53 to an unbroken stand of 120 before hands were shaken just before 5pm with Yorkshire 57 ahead on 280 for four.

The only chance given by either of the fifth-wicket pair came with Ballance on 23, when Gordon Muchall was unable to hang on to a sharp head-high chance just to his left at first slip off Callum Thorp.

Ballance also edged a Scott Borthwick googly just out of Michael Di Venuto's reach, but Gale was composed and largely untroubled in his four-hour knock.

He wasn't afraid to use his feet to loft the spinners to the boundary as he mixed aggression with solid defence, hitting 15 fours.

Durham took the maximum of eight bonus points, compared with only two for Yorkshire, who slipped into the relegation places when Worcestershire completed their win against bottom club Hampshire.

The Yorkshire v Worcestershire match at Scarborough looks like being crucial, while leaders Durham visit second-placed Lancashire in their next game, starting at Liverpool on Monday.

They will hope to have Paul Collingwood fully fit by then after missing yesterday's action with a groin injury picked up while making Monday's century.

His absence from the attack didn't help, nor did the fact that Steve Harmison was in scattergun mode on a pitch which had lost most of its early life.

With a day and a half lost to rain, there wasn't enough wear in the pitch for the spinners to play a big part, although Ian Blackwell did find some turn and had Lyth stumped to end a stand of 95 with Gale.

When Jonny Bairstow was run out two overs later Yorkshire were 160 for four and Durham's spirits were revived. But they were visibly flagging by tea, when the visitors were nine runs ahead.

Only eight minutes play were lost to a light shower at 11.30 and shortly after the resumption Durham took two wickets.

Lyth put on 50 for the first wicket with Joe Root, who earned a verbal volley from Graham Onions when he sliced him just wide of gully for four.

Root again looked the part in making 28 before he fell lbw to a shooter from Onions, but it was one of the few balls which misbehaved.

Anthony McGrath's struggles continued when he departed for a duck, following a leg-side ball from Harmison and providing Phil Mustard with a catch.

Harmison looked rusty after his three-week lay-off with a back problem and after two wayward six-over spells he wasn't called upon again.

Lyth curbed his natural aggression and gave no chances, although three inside edges passed close to the stumps and Blackwell almost bowled him with a ball which turned sharply out of the rough.

The opener reached 50 off 100 balls, with six fours, by driving Blackwell through extra cover for three. But after adding five to his previous best this season of 64 he stretched forward and was smartly stumped by Mustard.

Bairstow's run out came when he played the ball to mid-wicket and set off before hesitating when Gale was committed. Dale Benkenstein whipped the ball in to beat Bairstow to the non-striker's end.