Durham secured their first LV= County Championship win this weekend, beating Middlesex by 15 runs in a tense morning session on the third day
When play started on day three at Emirates Durham the game was evenly poised with the home side needing to take five wickets for less than 60 runs to secure 19 points.
With the second over interrupted by rain inducing a brief halt to play Graham Onions took full advantage and had Simpson (10) caught behind upon resumption, with Middlesex yet to add to their overnight total.
Paul Collingwood took a cracking catch in the slips to dismiss Gareth Berg for 5 off Chris Rushworth with Middlesex trailing by 47 with three wickets remaining.
A 27 run partnership edged the visitors to within reach of the total but when Roland-Jones was caught off Onions for 34 their momentum slowed.
Middlesex were 98-9 after Ben Stokes bowled Rayner on 11 with Durham now defending 20 to win.
With the visitors 15 runs short of victory Stokes had Murtagh (3) caught behind securing the win for Durham delighting the crowds at Emirates Durham.
At the close of play Paul Collingwood said, “I’m very proud of the lads, there’s not many games that you can go on to win when you get bowled out for 100 in the first innings. What we’ve seen in the last few weeks is some very exciting cricket on pitches that have been bowler friendly. I do have to say, the lads really have stuck together and fought every single ball.
“Some people may say that the batsmen have been giving their wickets away but it has been very, very hard on these wickets for them to find a rhythm. Callum Thorp and Scott Borthwick playing ultra positive on the wicket may have just won us the game. The bowlers obviously have to do their job but that partnership at the end to get us a lead gave us the chance.
“The wicket was a little bit quicker than at Arundel so we could get a few more nick-offs and having Graham Onions available to bowl through was great. It was a huge effort from him, he had a niggle coming into this game and I thought he was fantastic today – he really led the team. Ben Stokes was a really threatening bowler, tail enders struggle to cope with balls that swing both ways so he was able to pick up some wickets – he was fantastic too.”