At Emirates Durham ICG: Day Four of Durham v Worcestershire: Worcs 350-7d and 219-9d, Durham 277 and 291-7(Borthwick 99, Richardson 65no).
Match result: Durham win by three wickets
For full scorecard, click here
Durham ended their LV= County Championship campaign with a thrilling three-wicket victory over Worcestershire, courtesy of two outstanding knocks by Scott Borthwick and Michael Richardson.
The defeat condemned Worcestershire to relegation, but provided a happy ending to the season for Jon Lewis’ side, who must now wait until next week to see if they remain in fourth place in the First Division.
The visitors set Durham a challenging total on day four as the home team needed 291 runs to win off 71 overs, but with Borthwick and Richardson leading the chase they made it with just 4.2 overs to spare.
Richardson was there at the death with a coolly compiled 65 not out and the Durham keeper was delighted to have tasted success.
He told www.durhamccc.co.uk: “I always knew there were going to be a few twists and the night before I told Colly that this would not be easy, whatever total we were asked to chase. Trying to get nearly 300 in the last innings of a match is a tough one, but we did it, we got there and that’s a great feeling.
“There were still a few nerves out there when Barry McCarthy came out with us seven down, but he batted really well. He knocked off a dozen runs in no time at all and that made it a lot easier for me to settle.
“It’s a good win, a deserved win and we will have to see where that leaves us. At least we have finished the season on a bit of a high.”
Worcestershire’s search for rapid runs briefly came unstuck at Chester-le-Street before Ross Whiteley emerged to thrash 47 off 21 off balls.
Aiming for a lunchtime declaration, they then lost five wickets for 37 runs and called a halt four minutes before the scheduled break when the ninth wicket went down on 217.
A brisk start was ended when Durham’s Chris Rushworth took his 100th wicket of the season in county cricket, of which 83 have come in the LV= County Championship.
He ended an opening stand of 68 when he bowled Daryl Mitchell for 21 then Graham Onions took two wickets in the next over to make it 72-3.
Nipping the ball back, he clean bowled Brett D’Oliveira for 49 and Joe Clarke for a second ball duck, but Whiteley immediately set about improving the scoring rate.
The last over of Onions’ nine-over spell went for 16, sparking a spree which brought 88 off just eight overs.
Whiteley picked up Jamie Harrison behind square for six and Tom Kohler-Cadmore cleared the rope off Ryan Pringle before holing out at deep mid-wicket for 38, ending a stand of 69.
Ben Cox scored his six runs in one blow off Borthwick before falling lbw to the leg-spinner attempting a reverse sweep. Whiteley drove to long-off and Pringle picked up a third wicket when Ed Barnard was LBW for 17, prompting the declaration.
Durham had two sessions to get the 291 required but they began on the back foot as Jack Burnham was out LBW for only a single.
Mark Stoneman and Scott Borthwick soon settled into a steady rhythm with both players looking unfazed by the chase as they put together a 75-run partnership which suggested victory for the home side was very much on.
Stoneman had batted with great composure only to then spoon an attempted cut to point off Jack Shantry, with D’Oliveira taking the catch.
Skipper Paul Collingwood came to the crease and straight from the off looked in fine nick, taking the total to 119-2 at tea, needing another 172 runs to win off 39 overs. At the other end Borthwick completed his fluent 50 off only 72 balls and the pair passed the century mark for their partnership before tragedy struck. Borthwick, who smeared two fours to move to 99, tried it again and was LBW to D’Oliveira’s leg spin, the fourth time this season he has reached the 90s without getting a ton.
Collingwood and Michael Richardson took the score past the 200-mark, only for the Durham captain to fall three runs short of his half century as he edged a rising Gabriel delivery.
Gordon Muchall punched a couple of drives through the covers before he too fell in identical fashion to his captain, this time nicking to the keeper off Barnard, while Richardson passed his 50.
Ryan Pringle produced a terrific lofted drive off Leach, only to try a similar shot next ball, but on this occasion his timing was awry and Barnard snaffled the opportunity, making it 266-6.
Jamie Harrison came to the crease with Durham still requiring 25 runs to win, but he went back to a low skidding delivery from D’Oliveira and was adjudged LBW.
The umpires told the visiting skipper Daryl Mitchell that paceman Gabriel could no longer be used due to the fading light. Richardson cut to the boundary off Shantry then McCarthy flailed D’Oliveira over mid-wicket to leave Durham needing only 11. The Irishman showed little sign of nerves as he repeated the trick, bringing the ask down to single figures.
It was a fitting finale as just five minutes before 6pm and in the darkening gloom, Richardson expertly cut D’Oliveira to the third man boundary to win the match, their seventh of the championship season, with an outstanding 65 not out.