History will repeat itself if Yorkshire can pull off a sensational victory over Leicestershire on the final day of the Championship match at Scarborough today.

The first encounter between the sides was at Grace Road in mid-May when Yorkshire plundered their highest-ever winning score of 406 to cruise home by six wickets.

Now they have been set 397 and they are in with a great shout of completing a remarkable double after closing on 132-1 yesterday with a further 265 still required on a good batting pitch.

Previous to the Grace Road match, Yorkshire's biggest winning total was achieved at Lord's in 1910 when they scraped home by two wickets after being asked to make 331, so they still face a formidable task.

Bowling out Leicestershire in their second innings for 217, Yorkshire were given the ideal start by Matthew Wood and Joe Sayers, who powered their way to 115 together in only the second century opening stand of the season.

Wood, finding much better form of late, hit the ball fluently through the off-side although he managed to pull Charl Willoughby high over mid-wicket for six on his way to his first half-century in 12 Championship innings.

He had galloped on to 70 off 100 balls when he pushed forward at left-arm spinner Claude Henderson and was caught off bat and pad by John Maunders.

Anthony McGrath came in to survive a similar appeal in the same over and he managed to stay put for the remaining 12 overs, Sayers finishing on 46 not out after carefully facing 179 balls and hitting eight fours.

The excitement of the run chase was in sharp contrast to events earlier in the day after the first hour's play had been lost to thick drizzle.

Leicestershire resumed their second innings on 106-5 and, although they enjoyed a substantial lead of 285, they were in no hurry to make quick progress.

After nightwatchman Henderson had soon got out, Aftab Habib and Paul Nixon pottered around for 19 overs while scraping together 42 runs and it was only then that Yorkshire decided to try Richard Dawson's off-spin with dramatic results.

He bowled Aftab for 26 as the batsman lost patience and had a big swing and in his next two overs he dismissed Nixon to a good catch at short leg by Sayers and trapped Stuart Broad lbw.

Ottis Gibson, Leicestershire's man-of-the-match so far, flung the bat to good effect, driving consecutive balls from Dawson for enormous sixes, but he ran out of partners when Willoughby was caught at mid-on to give Deon Kruis his only wicket of the innings.

Updated: 10:35 Saturday, July 23, 2005