An unbeaten 257 stand between Phil Jaques and Kane Williamson gave Yorkshire a fighting chance of salvaging something from their top-of-the-table LV= County Championship clash with Durham at Scarborough.
Following on immediately after lunch 289 runs in arrears, Yorkshire looked as if another collapse was imminent as Adam Lyth departed lbw to Chris Rushworth with only 19 scored.
But Jaques and Williamson then resisted all of Durham’s increasingly frustrated efforts to dislodge them and they were still together at the close of the third day when Yorkshire were just 23 behind on 276 for one.
Jaques was unbeaten on 151 off 192 balls with 23 fours and two sixes while Williamson ended 10 runs short of a maiden Yorkshire hundred.
It was a stirring fightback by the championship leaders, who will take another big step towards winning the title if they can secure a draw, while Durham’s attack was blunted when paceman Mark Wood could not take the field for the second innings due to a side strain.
Yorkshire were determined not to adopt purely defensive measures and Jaques hooked Ben Stokes for six to raise the 50 before surviving a loud lbw appeal against the same bowler.
Both batsmen cruised past their half-centuries with Jaques the more aggressive, pulling Rushworth for six to move to 96 before placing him through mid-wicket to record his second century of the season.
Jaques survived a scare soon after as Mark Stoneman failed to hold a chance off Scott Borthwick but the opener made it to the close of play with his wicket intact.
Yorkshire had earlier got into deep trouble during a morning session in which they lost their last seven wickets for 92 runs, collapsing from an overnight 182 for three to 274 all out.
Williamson and Jonathan Bairstow started brightly as they moved to a century partnership but four runs later Williamson fell lbw to Stokes, before Gary Ballance was run out for one. Borthwick then accounted for Bairstow to leave Yorkshire 253 for seven.
There was little resistance to come as Liam Plunkett had his leg bail trimmed by Wood and the next ball nipped back fiercely and shattered Steven Patterson’s stumps.
Three wickets had fallen in eight balls for the addition of four runs and soon after Borthwick dropped Jack Brooks in the slips off Wood the innings was closed by Stokes, who had Ryan Sidebottom caught behind.
But Wood failed to return after lunch as Durham toiled in the field after enforcing the follow-on.