Jonny Bairstow captained Yorkshire to a record-breaking three-day victory over Worcestershire, seeing his side steamroller the opposition by an unprecedented 504 runs at Headingley.
After a losing start on their return to the top flight of the Rothesay County Championship, the White Rose roared back to form on home turf, putting together the competition’s biggest runs victory.
A career-best 107 for nightwatcher Dom Bess, as well as Dawid Malan’s unbeaten 76 and a rapid 44 not out from Bairstow allowed the Tykes to declare on 315-4 to set the Pears a notional target of 610.
In reality they barely scraped to three figures, knocked over for 105 in less than 38 overs as all-rounder George Hill collected 4-23.
In becoming the first ever team to win a game by 500 runs or more, Yorkshire eclipsed the previous best of 483 set by Surrey in 2002.
There was also a three-day win for Kent in Division Two as they chased down 316 for the loss of only two wickets to beat Middlesex.
There was a welcome half-century for England’s out-of-sorts opener Zak Crawley, who made 58 off just 66 balls following his first-innings duck, but he ceded centre stage to a pair of centurions.
Partner Ben Compton made an unbeaten 124 and Tawanda Muyeye scored one more at almost a run-a-ball in a stunning, unbroken stand of 225.
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