Sussex seamers run through Durham

LV CC Division One, Emirates Durham ICG

Close, day one: Durham 245 v Sussex 60-3

Title-chasing Durham endured a tough opening day as they were bowled out for 245 by Sussex at Chester-le-Street.

James Anyon (4-87) and Steve Magoffin (3-57) were among the wickets again, but the key spell was bowled after lunch by Lewis Hatchett (3-56).

The left-armer sent back opener Mark Stoneman for 96 and made short work of Paul Collingwood and Phil Mustard.

Durham only managed one batting point, but Graham Onions picked up two wickets in reply as Sussex closed on 60-3.

With leaders Yorkshire not playing this week, Durham only need six points to move to the top of the table. And, with Onions back in the side after three weeks on the sidelines with a broken finger, they are looking for an eighth victory of the campaign.

Sussex were without Ed Joyce, Luke Wright and Chris Jordan because of international commitments, but they had plenty of incentive to perform, as they began only 23.5 points behind the home side in third.

Keaton Jennings and Scott Borthwick departed cheaply, but Stoneman looked set to make Sussex pay for a let-off on 44, when he was dropped at slip by teenage debutant Harry Finch.

From 154-3, however, they slumped to 170-6 as Hatchett produced an inspired burst. And, although Will Smith (32), Michael Richardson (31) and Usman Arshad (30) made useful contributions, Durham were all out in the 72nd over.

Onions conceded early boundaries as he tried to find his line, but hit back by removing Chris Nash for 19 and Michael Yardy for a third-ball duck.

Mitchell Claydon, who has announced that he will leave the county at the end of the summer , marked his return from a loan spell with Kent by bowling Joe Gatting for 16.

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Durham go top with win over Sussex

LV CC Division One, Emirates Durham ICG

Durham 245 & 268-8 dec beat Sussex 112 & 116 by 285 runs

Durham moved to the top of the County Championship with a resounding 285-run win over Sussex at Chester-le-Street.

Phil Mustard struck 73 to help take Durham's lead beyond 400, prompting captain Paul Collingwood to declare on 245-8 just 40 minutes into day three.

It left an under-strength Sussex side to face a remote target of 403.

Chris Nash scored 38 as they reached 52-1, but Mitch Claydon, Graham Onions and Usman Arshad took three wickets each as Sussex totalled 116.

The win put Durham 14.5 points clear of second-placed Yorkshire at the top of Division One, with both sides having three matches still to play.

Durham had looked strong favourites at the start of the day, resuming on 212-6 with a lead of 345, but with heavy rain forecast throughout Friday a quick declaration was likely to be their best chance of victory.

Mustard, Arshad (34) and Claydon (12) all contributed as Durham's lead stretched past 400 and, having bowled Sussex out for only 112 in the first innings, Collingwood opted to put the visitors in to bat again.

Scott Borthwick caught Luke Wells off the bowling of Onions (3-38) just three balls into the innings, before Nash and Michael Yardy (25) shared 48 to frustrate the hosts.

But Claydon (3-31) trapped both Nash and Yardy in front and then had Rory Hamilton-Brown caught behind to shift the momentum firmly back in Durham's favour.

Arshad (3-18) tore through the Sussex middle order and, although Steve Magoffin offered some resistance with 20 off 16 balls, Onions had Hatchett caught by Borthwick to secure Durham's third win in a row.

Durham captain Paul Collingwood:

"That was a fantastic victory, particularly in the manner we did it. We put Sussex under a lot of pressure, we ground them down with the bat and really wore them out in the end.

"It is difficult to say if it is now a two-horse race, I don't really look at league tables. We just want to keep going about our business like we have been.

"The closer you get to the prize the more emotion comes into it and once emotion gets involved with sport it can be dangerous, so I try to distance myself from it."

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Mark Stoneman and Graham Onions give Durham the edge over Sussex

One bonus point after deciding to bat first may look like a disappointing return for a side chasing the title but Durham’s record at Chester-le-Street is not littered with high scores.

Indeed, with one exception they have not managed more than two batting points from any of their seven home fixtures. Yet they have achieved a first-innings lead in every one thus far, while the telling statistic is that if they can beat Sussex this week, they will have won five of them.

They are handicapped somewhat in this match. Ben Stokes, who has been in outstanding form with the ball lately, is on England duty and among those who remain Durham are so short of fit bowlers – missing Mark Wood and James Harrison as well as Callum Thorp – they have had to recall Mitch Claydon from his loan to Kent in order to assemble a worthwhile seam attack.

On the other hand, they have Graham Onions back, following three weeks sidelined with a broken finger, and on the evidence of an evening session in which he claimed two wickets in four balls in his fifth over despite the feeling that he needed to find his rhythm, his return may be a decisive factor.

Sussex have built a platform of sorts at 60 for three, having been 28 for two in reply to Durham’s 245, but can look forward to a difficult first hour or so on Wednesday.

This is a Durham side in transition, tipped by some even to be relegated as they renew what had been an ageing squad. Yet under Paul Collingwood’s captaincy, they have been buoyed by a sequence of outstanding performances from players who have stepped out of the shadows.

Notable among them has been Mark Stoneman, an opening batsman of no little talent but a frustrating history of not quite fulfilling his promise. This season, finding himself in the senior role at the top of the order now that Michael Di Venuto has retired, he has blossomed.

Since his century against Yorkshire on this ground in April, the 26-year-old has scored a half-century or more in half of his 18 innings, and was within one more boundary of a fourth century in that sequence had he not been bowled off an inside edge by Lewis Hatchett on 96. He had been dropped in the slips by Harry Finch, on his Sussex debut, on 44, but there was much to admire in his elegant stroke making, which brought him 16 boundaries.

He was the first of three victims for Hatchett in 19 deliveries, a spell that accounted for Collingwood, leg before, and Phil Mustard, who could do little about a ball that squared him up and had him caught at second slip.

There were three wickets, too, for Steve Magoffin, who swung the ball even as it aged. Had his regular new ball partner, Chris Jordan, been available, Durham might have found the going tougher still.

In the event, Stoneman’s runs, which give him a chance to pass 1,000 in first-class games for the first time, aided by handy support from Will Smith, Michael Richardson and an impressively composed Usman Arshad, gave Durham a total that may well give them the edge again.

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Michael Richardson's century helps put Durham into impregnable position against Yorkshire

For the second time in his fledgling first-class career, Michael Richardson demonstrated a liking for the Yorkshire bowling attack, in the process steering Durham into an apparently impregnable position in this collision of the County Championship’s top two sides.

The South African-born wicketkeeper-batsman made his championship debut against the White Rose at Headingley two years ago, scoring 140 runs in the match, including an unbeaten 73 that, until Thursday, represented his highest first-class score.

Since then Richardson has been something of a bit player, his 17 first-class appearances yielding 568 runs at an average of 22.72. But once again the whiff of battle against the Yorkies brought out the best in him.

He started the day with just three to his name and probably expecting to play second fiddle to his captain Paul Collingwood who, 74 not out overnight, looked well placed to become the third Durham batsman to reach three figures. Instead, Collingwood fell early, judged leg before as he shaped to turn a short delivery from Ryan Sidebottom to leg after adding only seven.

That nevertheless left Durham on a healthy 414 for seven and any hopes of Yorkshire wrapping up the innings in short order were dashed by Richardson, aided and abetted on an easy-paced surface by Mark Wood and Jamie Harrison.

After surviving a confident lbw shout against Adil Rashid on 29, Richardson reached his fifty from 80 balls with seven fours, on the way losing Wood, caught at cover after an eighth-wicket stand of 49 in 31 overs.

There was to be no let-up for Yorkshire, however. Once again, Sidebottom apart, their bowlers struggled for consistency and Richardson and Harrison were in no mood to let them go unpunished. They had added 84 in 22 overs when, with Yorkshire looking increasingly impotent, Harrison was run out at the bowler’s end for a career-best 35 by a direct hit from wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow.

Richardson was 77 at that stage but soon moved into the nineties with a six over long on off Kane Williamson and repeated the stroke to reach his century from 141 balls with 11 fours and two sixes. He fell three balls later, well caught by Gary Ballance at deep mid-on as he went for a third big hit.

A Durham total of 573 was, however, not what the majority of another 5,500-plus crowd would have had in mind at the start of the match and their mood was not improved by the early loss of Adam Lyth, superbly caught at third slip by Ben Stokes as he aimed an extravagant drive at Chris Rushworth.

Yorkshire were still 555 in arrears at that stage but Phil Jaques and Willamson began the long haul to safety confidently enough, adding 54 in 13 overs before Scott Borthwick’s leg-spin deceived Jaques by some extra bounce and he was caught at short leg off bat-pad.

When Andrew Gale was trapped leg before by Harrison nine overs later, Yorkshire were 107 for three and on the back foot. Steady nerves were required and they were provided by Williamson and Bairstow.

New Zealand all-rounder Williamson, a late overseas recruit as cover for the possible absence of Bairstow and Ballance on international duty, had been dismissed for a golden duck in his only previous championship innings. However, once that ignominy had been avoided, he slipped into the groove, reaching a chanceless half-century from 81 balls with nine fours and by the close he and Bairstow had added 75 in 45 overs. Yorkshire are still the little matter of 242 away from avoiding the follow-on.

“The call from Colly was to push the follow-on target as high as possible,” said Richardson. “It’s going to be hard work to bowl pressure because the pitch is flat and the outfield fast. But things would change very quickly if we could get rid of Williamson and Bairstow early.”

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Durham bowler Jamie Harrison runs through Surrey

The home side claimed seven Surrey wickets, four of them going to left-arm swing bowler Jamie Harrison. He finished with five for 31 as the visitors were dismissed for 108, then took the first wicket when they followed on 313 behind.

Two wickets in two balls in Usman Arshad’s second over reduced Surrey to 33 for three, but with Hashim Amla showing his class, they had advanced to 52 for three by the time bad light and then rain ended play.

Harrison, a 22-year-old Lancastrian who was picked up by Durham from Sedbergh School, took four for 112 on his championship debut at Taunton in May last year. But after playing in the next two games he did not appear again for the first team until the current match. He was called into the side because of injuries suffered by regular seamers Graham Onions and Callum Thorp.

Elsewhere in Division Two, only Moeen Ali appears to stand between Lancashire and victory at Worcester. Ali was 101 not out by the close of play on the third day as Worcestershire limped to 166 for five, a lead of just 12 runs.

The England Lions left-hander became the first batsman to score two hundreds in a match for Worcestershire for three years.

Earlier, Luke Procter hit 76 and Tom Smith 84 as Lancashire were bowled out for 441, a first-innings lead of 154.

Spinners Dean Cosker and Andrew Salter shared seven wickets as Glamorgan sealed their second Division Two victory of the season, beating Leicestershire by an innings and 37 runs at Swansea.

Cosker finished with four for 88 and Salter three for 66 – giving him match figures of five for 100 on his championship debut – as Leicestershire were bowled out for 268.

Leicestershire, who are bottom of the table, had looked certain for defeat after being bowled out for 203 in their first innings and then having to watch Glamorgan compile 508 for nine declared. Glamorgan took a maximum 24 points with Leicestershire picking up just three.

Rain thwarted Kent’s attempt to force only their second win of the season when persistent and heavy showers throughout the final day forced the abandonment of their match against Gloucestershire at Canterbury.

With Gloucestershire teetering on the brink of defeat at 307 for nine, still 92 short of their victory target, the heavens opened just 10 minutes before the scheduled 11am start time and the rain never relented thereafter.

The umpires, Neil Bainton and David Millns, sent the players for an early lunch at 12.30pm but, with rain still falling, had little option but to call the game off come 3pm, leaving Gloucestershire’s Gareth Roderick as the visiting hero, unbeaten on a match-saving 152.

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Durham thrash Surrey to set up potential County Championship title decider against Yorkshire

Paul Collingwood’s side leapfrogged Middlesex and Sussex into second with their haul of 23 points as Mark Wood’s five for 44 wrapped up victory on the final day at Chester-le-Street.

Table-toppers Yorkshire now lie only 25.5 points ahead of Durham and have played a game more. The two sides face off at Scarborough on Wednesday in an encounter that could go a long way to deciding the destination of this year’s trophy.

Surrey, meanwhile, are rooted to the bottom of the table and now seem certain to suffer relegation after a season where the acquisition of several high-profile overseas players has failed to transform their fortunes.

The latest recruit, Hashim Amla, did his best to hold up Durham with a superb innings of 89 on debut, but his dismissal shortly before lunch by Mark Rushworth hammered the final nail into Surrey’s coffin.

Seamer Wood returned career-best figures as he dismantled Surrey’s lower order, including three in four balls either side of the interval. Keeper Phil Mustard was also in the thick of the action with six catches, including a spectacular diving effort to remove Chris Tremlett.

The title picture also moved into sharper focus in Division Two, as leaders Lancashire secured a nine-wicket win over Worcestershire. Glen Chapple’s side are now 34 points clear of second-placed Northamptonshire, who were frustrated by the weather in their draw with Essex earlier in the week.

Lancashire’s push for victory at Worcester hinged on removing the in-form Moeen Ali (109), who on Saturday had completed his second century of the match, and his sixth score of over 50 in his last six home innings. It was veteran Chapple who made the crucial breakthrough, finding Moeen’s edge to give keeper Gareth Cross one of his five catches.

Tom Smith and the in-form Kyle Hogg polished off the tail, and despite some useful resistance from Jack Shantry (31) and Joe Leach (20), Worcestershire’s total of 241 left Lancashire only 88 to chase for victory.

That meagre target was achieved in some style, with young opener Luis Reece continuing his fine introduction to Championship cricket with 56 not out off 51 balls. He and Ashwell Prince steered Lancashire home for the loss of only one wicket to record a fifth win in the last six games.

Lancashire’s haul of 24 points leaves them in pole position in Division Two, and if Yorkshire can see off Durham this week in the top flight, there will be short odds indeed on a good year for the Roses in the County Championship.

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Durham second after beating Surrey

LV CC Division One, Emirates Durham ICG

Day four: Durham 421 beat Surrey 108 & 169 by an innings and 144 runs

Seam bowler Mark Wood took 5-44 as Durham thrashed Surrey by an innings and 144 runs to move up to second in the Championship Division One table.

The 23-year-old produced the best figures of his career as Surrey were all out for 169 on the final afternoon.

South Africa Test star Hashim Amla marked his debut with a fighting 89 before falling to Chris Rushworth.

But only one other batsman passed 20 and their last six wickets went down for 32 runs in just nine overs.

It was another dispiriting batting performance by the visitors, who were dismissed for 109 by an inexperienced Durham attack in their first innings and asked to follow on.

They have yet to win this summer and unless the team can raise their game very soon, relegation to Division Two looks a certainty.

Durham, meanwhile, closed the gap on leaders Yorkshire to 25.5 points, with the two sides set to meet at Scarborough in their next match.

Surrey resumed on 52-3 and Amla and Zander de Bruyn extended their partnership to 68 before De Bruyn became Wood's first victim of the day, caught low at slip by Michael Richardson.

The rot really set in, however, after Amla edged to the keeper shotrly before lunch and Wood dismissed Steven Davies (26), Gareth Batty and Gary Wilson in the space of four deliveries - all of them taken by keeper Phil Mustard, who had six catches in the innings.

Jamie Harrison, who took 5-31 in Surrey's first innings, then removed Chris Tremlett before Wood finished things off with the wicket of Tim Linley, who miscued an attempted pull and was caught.

Durham seamer Mark Wood told BBC Radio Newcastle:

"For a team with so many young bowlers in it, to win like this, makes us very proud.

"We are delighted to beat Surrey twice in a season. They are regarded as a big club and to beat a club which throws a lot of money around like them on big players is a hell of an achievement.

"I think the game with Yorkshire is a title-decider now. I think if we beat Yorkshire in our next match we can win the league.

"We showed a lot of grit and determination throughout the whole team and it is a great feeling to win a game like this."

Surrey coach Stuart Barnes told BBC London 94.9:

"We were outplayed in all three skills by a very good Durham team.

"We plan well, we prepare well, we just haven't as a team been able to execute for long enough.

"We have some fighters in that dressing room and they certainly proved that last year.

"I know they are hurting massively from this game, but we need to move on pretty quickly and put ourselves in the mental position where we are fighting on day one."

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Stokes shines again in Durham win

Friends Life t20 North Group, Chesterfield

Durham 137-6 (18.4 overs) beat Derbyshire 136-7 (20 overs) by four wickets

Ben Stokes's stunning 46 from 24 balls helped Durham leapfrog Derbyshire into third in the FLt20 North Group with a four-wicket win at Chesterfield.

After a disastrous first over in which Wes Durston was run out, useful knocks from Chesney Hughes and Wayne Madsen (both 32) saw the hosts to 136-7.

Durham also began badly, slumping to 36-4 in the eighth over.

But Stokes, after 72 not out at Trent Bridge on Friday, and Gordon Muchall put on a decisive 77-run stand.

After both fell to Durston, Michael Richardson saw the visitors home with eight balls to spare with a six off Tim Groenewald.

Youngster Stokes's knock included five sixes and showed the talent of a player who was involved in England's recent Twenty20 internationals against New Zealand.

The all-rounder's form in this competition has helped Durham move into contention for a quarter-final berth following back-to-back victories.

Match scorecard

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