Gloucestershire 54/3 & 218ao beat Durham 140ao & 131ao by 7 wickets
Durham rounded off their 2021 LV=Insurance County Championship season with a 7 wicket defeat to Gloucestershire at the Bristol County Ground on a track which turned from the off, losing only their third game of the season.
Zafar Gohar claimed back-to-back five wicket hauls in two days as he picked up figures of 6/51 which helped his side romp to victory.
After his first innings five for 50 and a merry 30 that earned a batting point, Gohar’s left-arm spin wrecked Durham’s second innings too, after they trailed by 78, as the visitors were bowled out for only 131.
It left just 54 to be knocked off in the sunshine and with 12 to win Gohar was sent out to seal victory, only to fall for a third-ball duck sweeping Liam Trevaskis to deep square.
Rushworth finished the season with 59 wickets in the County Championship, first when Miles Hammond skied one to Ned Eckersley before going onto pin Chris Dent leg before for 22.
Durham had little answer to Gohar. He began by beating Alex Lees’ inside edge to trap him lbw and won another leg before against Scott Borthwick, the left-hander trying to defend on the back foot but beaten by sharp turn out of the footholds. David Bedingham also fell lbw, misreading the flight and beaten on the inside edge.
Paul Coughlin was two from 20 balls when he swiped and miscued to cover and when Graham Clark played for turn and was bowled, Gohar had 10 wickets in a match for the third time.
His 11th scalp was one of the more bizarre of his career. Trevaskis, on 3, sweetly timed a sweep but directly into the helmet of the ducking Tom Lace at short leg. The ball rebounded gently into the gloves of James Bracey.
Graeme van Buuren finished Durham off in 10 balls. Matty Potts played outside the line and was lbw for 14 before Chris Rushworth had a good old mow to leg, missed and was bowled for a five-ball duck.
In the morning, Gloucestershire were seven down and only eight ahead but George Scott made 21 and Tom Price 16 to increase the lead before Gohar began a memorable day by striking five boundaries from No. 10 to gain an extra point.
Liam Trevaskis claimed his maiden first-class five-for as Price’s wicket gave him five for 78. Ben Raine picked up 3/39 with Rushworth and Coughlin both striking once.
Durham 140a, Gloucestershire 146/6 lead Durham by 6 runs
Liam Trevaskis claimed career best first-class figures of 3/47 as Durham made their way back into their LV=Insurance County Championship match against Gloucestershire in Bristol.
Pakistan spinner Zafar Gohar took his second consecutive five-wicket haul with the visitors bundled out for 140 before the hosts closed 146 for six.
Gohar, the left-armer from Lahore, took six for 43 to bowl his side to victory at Cardiff last week and followed up with five for 50 back at Nevil Road.
The day began in pleasant sunshine but play was suspended after only five balls as a helicopter burred overhead.
Sadly, it was the emergency services who landed on the outfield and the South Western Ambulance Service said, “the Air Ambulance landed to support their response to an emergency incident at a nearby residential address”.
After a 20 minute delay, David Payne struck twice in two balls. He swung one back from a full length to trap Michael Jones lbw for 6 and next ball had the left-handed Scott Borthwick squared up and edging to first slip.
Alex Lees took Gohar for three consecutive boundaries in his first over, but the left-arm spinner had his man in the over before lunch. Lees, on 40, missed with an attempted sweep and as the ball cannoned away of his pad it caught the back of his bat and looped to slip.
Gohar had David Bedingham also held at slip but in far more conventional fashion as he prodded forward, and Durham took lunch in trouble at 78 for four.
After the break, Paul Coughlin, for nine, and Liam Trevaskis, first ball, both swept Gohar to deep square before Ben Raine, with only No. 11 Chris Rushworth for company, charged and poked him to point.
Gloucestershire’s other left-arm spinner, Graeme van Buuren, also enjoyed success with three for 28. Ned Eckersley chipped a catch to cover for 20, Matt Potts drove a catch straight back to the bowler before perhaps the delivery of the day bowled Graham Clark with one that spun past his outside edge.
In reply, Gloucestershire were well placed at 93 for three as van Buuren, who made 62, shared a stand of 51 with Tom Lace but neither could get through to the close and when Ryan Higgins fell in the final over of the day, Durham were back in the match.