Yorkshire hampered by the rain once again after positive start against Durham

CIARAN MCCARTHY AT SCARBOROUGH: Yorkshire have been subject to the whims of the weather more often than they'd have liked this season and their hopes of getting a result against Durham have already been severely dented

Scarborough (day one of four): Yorkshire 142-2, Durham

A truncated day saw Yorkshire's hopes of securing a second victory, and a statement one after a good start over Division Two leaders Durham, stunted, with the weather disrupting yet another day of their campaign.

Yorkshire have been subject to the whims of the weather more often than they'd have liked this season.

Last week's home match against Sussex could well have brought them their second win of the campaign had rain not intervened. Indeed, the visitors were only 88 runs ahead in the third innings with just three wickets remaining before the final day was entirely wiped out. While it's possible Sussex would have weathered the Yorkshire storm - particularly with Fynn Hudson-Prentice still at the crease on 43 - the actual storm made sure they didn't have to.

Yorkshire's pursuit of victory was similarly stunted against the same opponents at Hove earlier in the season - they were 63 runs away from certain victory, with both Adam Lyth and Shai Hope well set, and as was the case last week, no play was possible at all on the final day. They could conceivably have finished things off with just part of one session had they been afforded that chance.

^{Adam Lyth is on course for a century [Stu Forster/Getty Images]}

It's worth remembering that Sussex - the opponent on both of those dispiriting occasions - are second in the table, behind runaway leaders Durham. Those performances showed Yorkshire they have what it takes to compete against one of the best sides in the division, stoking a healthy fire given they're now facing the top dogs.

That Yorkshire began this game 76 points behind Durham was not clear in the opening exchanges. And while it might yet be the weather that hinders their chances - with the forecast looking ominous throughout the next three days - Raine, Durham opening bowler Ben, that is, was not the problem you'd have expected him to be, having taken 44 scalps so far this season.

Though Division Two's leading wicket-taker had a huge lbw appeal turned down on the third ball of the day from the Peasholm Park end, Adam Lyth quickly got a feel for his bowling and began tucking in, crushing two glorious cover drives off him in consecutive balls in his second over.

The experienced Yorkshire opener and his flashy partner Finlay Bean performed for the Scarborough crowd in the morning session. Both took advantage of some loose bowling, largely from Raine and Bas de Leede. The former's economy rate was 4.44, a steep rise on his figure of just over three for the season. De Leede was carted for 28 in four overs, including 17 in one boundary-laden over.

Having managed to get through the opening session unscathed by the weather and sitting pretty on 113 for 0, the chances of more play were severely stunted by the heavens opening on multiple occasions. To say it was bouncing down in the lunch break would be an understatement; hail stones that would work as replacements for golf balls hammered onto the ground for a good five or 10 minutes.

That spell subsided, and the umpires decided play would restart at 2:30pm, provided there were no further interruptions. That was wishful thinking. Rain came back three minutes before the planned restart, teased supporters for a few minutes by stopping, and then weather conditions not dissimilar to those Noah had to build an ark to combat came down.

^{Matthew Potts picked up two late wickets [Stu Forster/Getty Images]}

By around 3pm, large puddles appeared on the ground, making a return to the field at any point unlikely. Much of the crowd made the wise choice to depart and when the restart came at 5.30pm - thanks to great drainage at the groun, and the efforts of the ground staff - the stands were, understandably, rather bare, and some areas of the playing surface had been sawdusted to within an inch of their lives.

Only eight more overs were possible before bad light and then weather intervened yet again. Lyth continued his good batting form, making his way to 75 at the close of play, but he lost partners Bean (46) and George Hill (7) to Matthew Potts, who was really the only bright spot in the Durham performance, smashing both men on the pads to begin his haul for the innings.

In the last two games alone (versus Worcestershire and Sussex), Yorkshire had lost 280 overs - unsurprisingly, both matches were drawn.

Having started so positively here, with Lyth taking the attack to the best opening pair in the division, a truncated day's play, in which a further 58 overs were lost, was another dagger in Yorkshire's hearts.

While matches can be won in three days, today's downpours likely won't be the last of the interruptions from the rain, making the scope for victory on either side slim.

For Durham, whose promotion to Division One seems a sure thing, that won't be a massive problem. But for Yorkshire, a side who have come so close on a number of occasions throughout the campaign and had victory snatched away from them by the weather, not having the chance to even get close to a result would be yet another kick in teeth.

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