Result: Yorkshire Vikings (339/4; Bairstow 174; Weighell 3/60; 2 points) beat Durham (335/5; Cook 106, Richardson 100*; 0 points) by six wickets
Centuries by Stephen Cook & Michael Richardson could not prevent Durham from falling to a six-wicket defeat against Yorkshire at Headingley.
Vikings ‘keeper Jonny Bairstow scored a sensational career best 174 as they reached a target of 336 with 14 deliveries remaining.
Cook (106) and Richardson (100*) both hit hundreds while Keaton Jennings passed fifty for a third consecutive time as Durham posted 335/5, with Richardson reaching his ton from the final delivery of the innings.
It was Cook’s first century for the club & all of the top three batsmen have reached three figures in the opening games of the Royal London One-Day Cup campaign.
It was the second game in a row Durham have posted over 300 but Bairstow then produced a remarkable batting display.
He posted the highest ever List A score at Headingley on the way to his county’s record chase, with the pair sharing 189 for the second wicket inside 26 overs.
Durham built their innings around measured Cook, who later dropped Bairstow on 71 at long-off. He shared stands of 124 for the first two wickets with Keaton Jennings (72) and Richardson, and he went on to post 106 off 114 balls.
Yorkshire all-rounder Matthew Waite took one of four wickets to fall as Durham lost momentum. He had earlier got Jennings superbly caught at deep mid-wicket by Peter Handscomb as the left-handed Durham skipper aimed for a third six in his 64-ball knock, before having Graham Clark caught at mid-wicket.
Jennings hit two of six sixes in the Durham innings, with Cameron Steel doing likewise in a late 22 not out off 14 balls as 36 came off the last three.
Unbeaten Richardson reached 100 off his 87th delivery, the last of the Durham innings.
Yorkshire lost Adam Lyth in the ninth over of their chase, but they had already moved to 60 when he pulled Chris Rushworth to deep square-leg.
Bairstow was in dominant mood and made Durham pay for Cook dropping him off the spin of debutant George Harding.
Both he & Joe Root fell in successive James Weighell overs – Bairstow caught behind and Root chopped on – as the score fell to 254 for three in the 36th over, but Gary Ballance, who stood on his stumps against Weighell and fell for 29, and Handscomb (47*) shared 71 for the fourth wicket.
Durham now start preparing for Friday’s encounter against Leicestershire at South North with one point on the board after a win & no result to accompany today’s defeat.