Result: Durham 2nd XI (410/7d & 226/0d; Jones 117*, Greenwell 98*) beat Leicestershire 2nd XI (312/6d & 259; Ali 78; Whitehead 6/77) by 65 runs
Durham’s 2nd XI are in pole position to reach the 2nd XI Championship final after defeating Leicestershire in their final North Group match at Kibworth.
Victory by 65 runs on the final day handed Neil Killeen’s side extended their lead at the top of the table.
They can only be caught by Lancashire’s second string. With the gap at 47 points, Lancashire must win their final two games with maximum points in order to qualify.
But Durham are in pole position after another fine win, set up by Michael Jones’s century & a six-fer for leg spinner Ben Whitehead.
Resuming on 60/0, the opening partnership of Jones & Ross Greenwell put on a further 166 without the loss of a wicket before declaring to leave the hosts 325 to win.
Whitehead removed both openers but Aadil Ali & Lewis Hill accumulated 62 in quick time for the third wicket as the hosts showed their intention to go for the win.
Liam Trevaskis broke the stand, clean bowling Hill, before Scott Steel struck & then the prized wicket of Ali fell to Whitehead.
The leg spinner had three at this point & continued to run through the lower order with the help of Ryan Pringle, who took two wickets, to seal a sixth win from nine.
Close, Day Two: Durham 2nd XI (410/7d & 60/0; Jones 35*) lead Leicestershire 2nd XI (312/6d; Hill 123; Whitehead 2/35, Gibson 2/68) by 158 runs
Durham’s 2nd XI hold the cards heading into the final day of the Second XI Championship match against Leicestershire at Kibworth.
They finished on 60/0 at the close with a lead of 158, setting the base for early runs & a declaration at some time during the afternoon as they push for victory in their ninth & final North Group fixture.
Michael Jones, who impressed by scoring 92 in the first innings, is unbeaten on 35 alongside Ross Greenwell (19*).
In an effort to move the match along & force the possibility of a positive result for either side, Leicestershire declared earlier in the day after making 312/6 in 87 overs.
Ben Whitehead & Oliver Gibson were the standout bowlers for Neil Killeen’s side with two wickets apiece, while Lewis Hill’s 123 was the backbone for the hosts. Josh Coughlin & Ryan Pringle took the other wickets to fall.
Durham’s positive position in the game owed much to their performance on the first day after electing to bat first upon winning the toss.
The aforementioned knock from Jones was one of four half centuries in the Durham innings that saw them to maximum batting points.
Jones & Gareth Harte added 157 for the second wicket, with the latter making the trip over from Cheltenham to get valuable time in the middle following a thumb injury.
Harte was the first to fall on 84, trapped LBW by James Dickinson, before Jones fell eight shy of his ton.
Ryan Pringle & Scott Steel then added 106 for the fourth wicket, the former making 58 before falling LBW to Dieter Klein.
But Steel marshalled the tail & continued the blistering form that saw the Seconds secure a T20 Finals Day place at the Fischer County Ground a day earlier, smashing 94 off 89 balls to see them within three points of the final batting point.