Wicketkeeper Andrew Hodd believes Yorkshire need a crazy session to go their way if they are to win their LV= County Championship match against Durham.

The White Rose county head into day four at Emirates Durham needing 12 wickets to win for the second time this season.

Durham, in reply to 589-8 declared, are 361-8 from 115 overs and still 79 runs away from avoiding the follow-on. Should they reach 440 tomorrow morning, then the match will be as good as drawn.

This is as flat a wicket as has been played on here in county cricket since the dry spring of 2011, so the chances are that career-best centuries from Mark Stoneman and Michael Richardson will have contributed to a draw for the champions.

But Hodd, who saw Bradfordian leg-spinner Adil Rashid lead the way with 3-70 from 18 overs for Yorkshire, is still hopeful his bowlers can pull a rabbit out of the hat.

“We’re obviously on top in the game but it needs a session where it goes crazy,” said the ex-Sussex man. “It is still doing stuff, and there could still be a result in it for us.

“We just need one of those times when Jack Brooks hits his straps and gets the ball reversing or Liam Plunkett just flies in for one of those spells that changes a game.”

Yorkshire took two wickets in the morning and afternoon sessions before taking three after tea.

They were held up either side of lunch by a fourth-wicket stand of 136 in 44 overs between opener Stoneman and Richardson, who made 131 and 148 respectively.

The day had started in the best possible way for Yorkshire as Tim Bresnan and Ryan Sidebottom struck in the fourth and fifth overs of the morning to get rid of Scott Borthwick and debutant Kumar Sangakkara for a two-ball duck.

But Hodd described Yorkshire’s bowling performance as “indifferent”, while they also dropped three catches.