Result: Durham (361 & 297/4; Stoneman 137, Borthwick 88) beat Hampshire (411 & 245; McManus 67; Pringle 7/107) by six wickets
Mark Stoneman’s century & Scott Borthwick’s 88, on their farewell appearances for the county, sealed a brilliant six-wicket win in the season-closer at Hampshire.
The pair frustrated Hampshire for most of the afternoon in a partnership of 162 as Durham won with three overs to spare.
After sealing fourth place on the second day, Durham cemented the position and finished with over 200 points while Hampshire, needing a win following Warwickshire’s win over Lancashire, fell through the trap door.
The home side had set a target of 296, after batting for an hour in the morning, but other than a late flurry of wickets, they never looked like stopping the seemingly unmoveable Stoneman.
The pitch had been designed for this situation to assist Hampshire’s spinning trio of Mason Crane, Liam Dawson and Will Smith in the fourth innings, but Stoneman and Borthwick navigated the terrain effortlessly.
Borthwick also moved past 1,000 first-class runs for the fourth consecutive season before falling 12 shy of a century.
Stoneman rode his luck with a few leg before and bat pad appeals, and was at his most fortunate to narrowly beat James Vince’s finger tips at mid-on when on 67.
He drilled down the ground to become the first man, of 11 fifty makers in the match, to convert to three figures.
After surviving a catch at short leg on 101, which the umpires concluded had not hit his bat or glove, he finally departed when he spooned up to Tom Alsop under the helmet for 137.
With the game all-but up, Graham Clark returned to the dressing room soon after when he was stumped off Crane before Borthwick was lbw to the leg spinner.
But the Ageas Bowl was left in eerie silence as Ben Stokes and Paul Collingwood ticked off the remaining 15 runs.
Until 11:30am, Hampshire had quickly got themselves into the position they wanted to get to as Ryan Pringle recorded a maiden ten-wicket match haul.
Lewis McManus had steered Hampshire to a competitive total with his third half century of the season.
After Crane had been caught at mid-on by Borthwick, wicketkeeper-batsman McManus had put on 41 with Gareth Berg, who scored 36.
But the man of the morning was spinner Pringle, who celebrated personal best figures of 7/107, with a team campaign best of 10/260 for the match.
Along with Crane, he accounted for McManus, who was caught behind, before the declaration came.
Close, Day Three: Hampshire (411 & 176/7; McManus 41*; Pringle 5/64) lead Durham (361; Richardson 99*, Clark 58; Wheal 4/39) by 226 runs
Michael Richardson fell agonisingly short of a century for the second time in two weeks, but Ryan Pringle’s five-for set up an intriguing final day of Specsavers County Championship action against Hampshire.
The wicketkeeper was left stranded on 99 after leading a lower-order revivial, cutting the first innings deficit to 50 after being 186/7 on Day Two.
He could only look on in agony after Chris Rushworth was trapped lbw in the week after the ‘keeper made 99 for the second team against Sussex.
Off spinner Ryan Pringle then reduced Hampshire’s survival hopes by grabbing his second career five-for, both at the Ageas Bowl.
Pringle was the nemesis for Hampshire as they closed the day leading by 226, leaving them with a conundrum as they chase victory to confirm their Division One status.
It had started well as the opening pair put on 50 in 9.4 overs before Adams was caught at short fine leg while attempting to sweep leg-spinner Scott Borthwick.
From then on it was the Pringle show, as he forced Tom Alsop to poke across his body to Paul Collingwood at first slip an over later.
James Vince soon followed when Pringle clipped the top of his off stump on a pitch specially designed to help Hampshire’s spinners Mason Crane and Liam Dawson force a result, with a sandy top giving consistent spin.
Smith departed for 30 as he popped into short leg Keaton Jennings’ hands, Sean Ervine hesitated through a drive and
But Liam Dawson and Lewis McManus set up a nail-biting final day with a 57-run fightback, before Dawson was caught by man of the moment Pringle, while McManus ended the day unbeaten on 41.
A morning washed out by easterly drifting rain and a subsequent two hour and seven minutes frustration as they attempted to prise the final three Durham wickets.
He was accompanied in a 79-run stand with Brydon Carse and then put on 86 with Graham Onions – the former broken when Carse edged Dawson to first slip, the second when Brad Wheal bagged his fourth wicket of the innings when Onions was caught at short leg.
Richardson was then left stranded at the non-strikers end when Rushworth missed a sweep shot to fall lbw and became the first Durham man to be left stranded on 99.
Close, Day Two: Durham (242/7; Clark 58, Stokes 50, Richardson 50*) trail Hampshire (411; Vince 92, Smith 90; Onions 3/41, Pringle 3/153) by 169 runs
Durham secured fourth place in Specsavers County Championship Division One with a fourth bonus point on Day Two against Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl.
Having dismissed the hosts inside the allotted 110 overs for maximum bowling points earlier in the morning, Durham knew just one more point would confirm fourth spot.
And Brydon Carse tucked Mason Crane away for the single to seal it with three wickets remaining as part of an unbroken 56-run partnership with Michael Richardson (50*).
Though Surrey are on the same points (182) and the sides have equal wins, fewer losses for the Riversiders puts them ahead with the Brown Caps having ended their campaign with last week’s defeat at Emirates Riverside.
Lancashire’s inability to score a batting point means 181 points is their maximum total, should they beat Warwickshire at Edgbaston.
There were also half-centuries for Ben Stokes and Graham Clark, but Brad Wheal’s three-wicket haul left Durham with a big fight ahead in the context of this match.
Wheal provided an entertaining evening spell to get rid of the dangerous Stokes, caught at deep midwicket having been tempted into attacking a short ball, while spinners Mason Crane and Liam Dawson also chipped in on a turning track.
An early trio of wickets for Hampshire fluttered away the host’s relegation nerves as they battle to avoid the drop.
Keaton Jennings was lbw to Gareth Berg in the second over, Scott Borthwick edged Brad Wheal behind before Mark Stoneman skipped down the wicket and pinged to Jimmy Adams at mid-wicket.
Hampshire were then forced on the back foot during an 87-run partnership between Clark and England man Stokes as the pair rebuilt.
It was Clark’s second first-class fifty, back-to-back with his maiden half-ton against Surrey last week, chipping away to his highest total of 58 before he fell to spin – edging to a juggling Lewis McManus behind the stumps.
Collingwood departed in the next over when Mason Crane joined the wicket column, another edge behind, and the game swung back to Hampshire’s grasp.
Stokes, known for his hard-hitting brand of cricket, eventually reached his half century although he was the slowest in 106 balls.
Scotland international Wheal then accounted for Stokes with the fourth ball of his spell as the all-rounder picked out Ryan McLaren on the deep square leg boundary.
In his next over, Wheal refused to allow Ryan Pringle to settle, with the batsman flicking round the corner to the waiting Adams at short fine leg.
But Richardson and Carse put on 56 for the eighth wicket as the shadows lengthened to see Durham chalk up a batting bonus point and head towards a second on Day Three.
In the morning, Hampshire had been bowled out for 411 after a spell of four wickets for 14 runs.
Dawson needed 93 deliveries to move to his fifty before being trapped lbw by a snorter from Grhama Onions.
Tail wickets fell soon after, as Hampshire lost four wickets for 14 runs, with Berg caught at first slip, Crane comprehensively bowled – both against Onions – and McManus sweeping Borthwick to deep mid-wicket.
Close, Day One: Hampshire (370/6; Vince 92, Smith 90; Pringle 3/153) vs Durham
Ryan Pringle took three of the six wickets to fall as Hampshire finished on 370/6 in their survival Specsavers County Championship decider against Durham.
Hampshire scored their runs quickly, knowing a win will guarantee them another year in Division One, but Pringle responded to peg them back three times.
Ex-Durham batsman Will Smith and James Vince were the pick of the four batsmen to pass fifty, but both departed in the nervous nineties.
Under heavy clouds, Paul Collingwood was persuaded not to toss in the conditions but Hampshire knuckled down with the opening pair of Smith and Jimmy Adams.
Smith, in particular, abandoned his usual defensive bubble to venture into stroke play to tick the runs along.
It was Adams who reach fifty first, as he enjoyed more of the strike, from 95-balls, as Durham struggled to make inroads.
But Adams could not convert and fell for 53 when he chopped Scott Borthwick, on his final Durham appearance, with the score on Nelson.
There was still time in the morning for Smith to move through fifty in 80-balls.
That brought lunch, and immediately after Tom Alsop was leg before to off-spinner Pringle, which brought Vince to the crease, and set about ending a long summer on a high.
He passed 6,000 Championship runs during a quick-fire knock which blew cobwebs of a frustrating 2016 away, his fifty coming in 48 balls.
Smith, who had rattled away at a consistent strike rate of 60, was caught at point after Brydon Carse’s introduction induced a false shot to Pringle at point.
Vince, after adding 57 with Sean Ervine, look destined for a century but foolishly took on Ben Stokes’ rocket arm when on 92.
Ervine also reached his half century but the very next ball edged a quicker Pringle delivery to Collingwood at first slip, with the skipper completing a smart low catch.
McLaren came and went, on the wrong end of some more Pringle turn to fall leg before, but they ended the day on 370/6, with Liam Dawson unbeaten on 47.