Next week's Roses match at Headingley Carnegie will determine whether Yorkshire or Lancashire go through to the Second Eleven Championship playoff.

Adam Lyth, pictured, hammered 133 not out as Yorkshire beat Durham by nine wickets at Acklam Park, Middlesbrough, after two days of rain - but Lancashire could only draw with MCC Young Cricketers to leave the top of the group table as:

1 Nottinghamshire - Played 9 Won 4 Points 131 (they have played all of their group matches)

2 Yorkshire - Played 8 Won 5 Points 125.   

3 Lancashire - Played 8 Won 4 Points 125

Yorkshire are placed second this weekend because they have won more matches than Lancashire. To finish top of the group Yorkshire need to score six points or more and the same number of points or more as Lancashire.

Day 3 at Acklam Park dawned clear, and play started on time after two blank days. With one day remaining a double-innings forfeit was the only route to victory for either side - and as both needed as many Championship points as possible this was what happened.

Yorkshire skipper Craig White surprised every pundit on the boundary when he won the toss and put Durham in - aren't batting-bonus points gained more easily than bowling points? He was soon proved right.

A wicket was taken in each of paceman James Lee's first two overs, and Durham were on the back foot. They recovered some composure in a minor stand for the third wicket - but that was snuffed out when Oliver Hannon-Dalby encouraged Durham captain Gordon Muchall to snick to his opposite number at backward-point.

Michael Chadwick demolished Lee Goddard's and Paul Muchall's stumps - the sight of stumps cartwheeling out of the ground must have gladdened the bowler's heart - and Ben Sanderson, in cahoots with Simon Guy behind the stumps, captured the wickets of veteran Paul Wiseman and Mark Wood. The field settings for these bowlers? Ten behind square, the only one in front being the bowler. What a sight!

Seven wickets had been taken and three bonus points earned - but not enough runs had been conceded for the double forfeit. The quicks had to come off and the slow bowlers go on to force-feed the runs. Left-hander Gurman Randhawa read the wrong script and bowled a maiden - but then the bowling was despatched to all parts of the park.

Two overs before lunch conceded 34 runs, and six overs after the break 66. Chris Rushworth struck five sixes and three fours in 47 off 18 balls before falling to Gary Ballance, and Randhawa bowled Michael Turns - the two wickets bringing Yorkshire maximum bowling points.

Lyth lobbed up an over for 18 runs...Ballance conceded another eight...and the declaration came. Yorkshire on cue forfeited first innings, and Durham responded by forfeiting their second innings - perhaps surprisingly, because a target of 213 to win off a minimum of 57 overs seemed very generous. Did the Durham captain hope that his bowlers would wreak havoc on the Yorkshire batting?

The omens were good. With 10 on the board Lee Evans bowled Ballance, which brought a spring to the step of the Durham fielders. Little were they to know that this would be their last success. With Joe Root as steady as a rock at one end and Lyth playing his best innings of the season, runs came at a gathering pace.

The 50 came up in the 13th over, the 100 in the 18th - 10 an over for the second 50. The dispirited attack clawed it back a little, the rate dropping to six an over for the next 50, but with the finishing line in sight Lyth cut loose: Adam added 50 to his personal tally with 11 fours in the last 23 balls he received.

A no-ball saw the target reached in the 33rd over. Victory by nine wickets and 18 points far exceeded the morning's expectations. It took Yorkshire back to second place in the Championship group with one game to play - against the old enemy, Lancashire, starting at Headingley Carnegie on Tuesday! To the victor the spoils, a place in the Championship final.

Be there! Tuesday at Headingley Carnegie. Play starts at 10.30am.

Durham 2nd XI 1st Innings: MD Stoneman c Hodgson b Lee 4 (1 four), K Turner b Lee 1, GJ Muchall (captain) c White b Hannon-Dalby 24 (5 fours), LJ Goddard (wicket-keeper) b Chadwick 23 (4 fours), PB Muchall b Chadwick 6 (1 four), M Turns b Randhawa 35 (4 fours), PJ Wiseman c Guy b Sanderson 3, MA Wood c Guy b Sanderson 11 (1 four), C Rushworth c and b Ballance 47 (3 fours and 5 sixes), AM Davies not out 24 (4 fours and 1 six), L Evans not out 14 (2 fours). Extras (b 5, lb 7, nb 8) 20
Total (9 wkts dec, 37 overs) 212
Twelfth man: AR Kirtley
FoW: 1-4 (Stoneman), 2-7 (Turner), 3-53 (GJ Muchall), 4-66 (Goddard), 5-67 (PB Muchall), 6-78 (Wiseman), 7-108 (Wood), 8-154 (Turns), 9-180 (Rushworth)

Bowling: Lee 6-1-23-2, Hannon-Dalby 7-0-25-1, Sanderson 9-2-25-2, Chadwick 6-0-27-2, Randhawa 4-1-26-1, Ballance 4-0-56-1, Lyth 1-0-18-0

Yorkshire 2nd XI 1st Innings: Forfeited

Durham 2nd XI 1st Innings: Forfeited

Yorkshire 2nd XI 2nd Innings: JE Root not out 53 (8 fours), GS Ballance b Evans 3, A Lyth not out 133 (28 fours). Extras (b 2, lb 4, w 1, nb 18) 25
Total (1 wkts, 32.5 overs) 214
DNB: CG Roebuck, SM Guy (wicket-keeper), LJ Hodgson, C White (captain), JE Lee, G Randhawa, BW Sanderson and OJ Hannon-Dalby
Twelfth man: MS Chadwick
FoW: 1-10 (Ballance)

Bowling: Davies 6-2-23-0, Evans 10-0-61-1, Rushworth 2-0-24-0, Wood 3-0-34-0, Wiseman 3-0-18-0, PB Muchall 3-0-6-0, Kirtley 2-0-10-0, Turner 2-0-18-0, Turns 1.5-1-14-0

Result: Yorkshire won by 9 wickets

Yorkshire 2nd XI 18 points; Durham 2nd XI 2 points

Umpires: DJ Millns and P Brown. Scorers: M Snook and RV Hilton

Words and Statistics: HAROLD GALLEY