CHAMPIONSHIPS, so everyone at Headingley will insist, are won by teams, not individuals. Yet when a cricketer plays a series of innings quite as brilliant as Jonny Bairstow has produced this summer, it seems almost rude not to acknowledge his colossal contribution.

Bairstow’s 124-ball 91, which itself followed a very disciplined innings of exactly the same score by Gary Ballance, helped Yorkshire to a first-innings total of 391 against Somerset. That gave Andrew Gale’s side a lead of 281 runs and by the close Somerset were 44-2, still needing 237 runs to make Yorkshire bat again.

The win that will take Yorkshire to the verge of the title could be confirmed today and matters may be settled at Lord’s next week.

But yesterday’s cricket also saw Jonny Bairstow reach a milestone of his own when he drove Lewis Gregory for four to reach a thousand Championship runs in 2015. What’s more Bairstow has reached that landmark in just 13 innings.

His scores are worth repeating in full: 102, 59, 50, 66, 125 n.o., 0, 15, 219 n.o. , 108, 23, 139, 74 n.o, 91. That makes a total of 1071 runs at an average of 107.1.

But Bairstow would be the first to point out that his innings needs to be seen in the context of his team’s effort and that began in yesterday’s morning session when Yorkshire’s batsmen spent their time strengthening their side’s grip on the match by taking the total to 236-4, a lead of 126.

The star of the show was nightwatchman Steve Patterson who batted in relatively untroubled fashion and was 44 not out at lunch. The one wicket to fall was that of Ballance, whose patient innings ended when he edged Craig Overton to Marcus Trescothick at second slip.

Yorkshire then lost three further wickets but still made very good progress in the afternoon, scoring 126 runs to finish on 362-7. Patterson was caught at the wicket by Luke Ronchi for 44 off Overton’s third ball after the resumption. Aaron Finch and Bairstow then added 22 in ten overs against a disciplined Somerset attack before Finch was leg before to Overton for 13.

Gradually Bairstow batted with increasing confidence and he reached his 50 in confident style off the 80th ball he had received when he hit Jack Leach for a straight six. A couple more boundaries followed in the same over while James Middlebrook offered stout support in a 60-run stand for the eighth wicket

Yorkshire lost their last three wickets for just 29 runs early in the evening session but by the time Bairstow was bowled playing across the line at Gregory, he probably know that the lead was surely big enough.

“At the end of the day the team comes first and it’s a good total that we posted,” said Bairstow. “It would have been nice to get that hundred but I’m pretty pleased to get that thousand. I’m also pleased with the form and the position we’re in is exceptionally good.”