ANTHONY McGrath and Chris Silverwood dramatically transformed Yorkshire with an astonishing ninth wicket stand of 108 in the Championship thriller with Durham at Riverside yesterday.

When Silverwood strode to the crease, Yorkshire were in total disarray at 162-8 with a lead of only 100 and defeat inside three days looming large.

But the efforts of the gallant pair meant that Yorkshire went on to make 306 which left Second Division leaders Durham requiring 245 for victory.

Home ccaptain Mike Hussey and Jon Lewis put on a confident 47 before bad light and rain caused a 14-over hold-up and in the two overs which remained on the resumption they took the score to 53 without loss which left Durham requiring a further 192 today.

So crisply did Silverwood strike the ball that he contributed 80 to the stand before being dismissed while McGrath compiled a faultless 133 not out to put alongside his match-winning unbeaten 165 in the previous game against Leicestershire at Grace Road.

It was a career-best score by Silverwood and the partnership was all the more remarkable in that until McGrath and Silverwood came together Yorkshire had been giving catching practice to Durham with the previous six wickets all falling to edges into the slips.

Silverwood decided from the start, however, that he was going to adopt a less timorous approach and he soon swatted Liam Plunkett for six over long on before forcing Mark Davies through the off-side for four and top-edging the next delivery for another boundary.

McGrath, 78 at the start of the stand, made 12 of the first 50 runs to move into the 90s and he remained quite content to let Silverwood have his fling.

The partnership overtook Yorkshire's previous best for the ninth wicket against Durham of 79 between Michael Lumb and Pieter Swanepoel at Headingley in 2003 and it went on to become Yorkshire's best against any opposition since Richard Blakey and Andy Gray added an unbroken 149 against Leicestershire at Scarborough three years' ago.

A pulled drive off Plunkett brought McGrath his century from 168 balls with ten boundaries. The Bradford-born player relishes batting at Riverside where he scored 126 in last year's Championship match and 81 for England in the Test match with Zimbabwe in 2003.

A century was also on the cards for Silverwood until Mick Lewis dislodged his off-bail, his 80 coming from just 66 deliveries with eight fours and three sixes.

McGrath launched his own furious assault when last man Deon Kruis came in and he swiped Lewis over mid-on for six and struck two regal cover boundaries in the same over before hitting consecutive fours off Plunkett. He and Kruis had thrashed 36 from four overs when the carnage ended with Lewis bowling Kruis to pick up his fifth wicket of the innings, McGrath coming in with 15 fours and a six off the 193 balls he faced.

Updated: 11:03 Monday, May 23, 2005