Chris Rushworth orchestrated a brilliant 258-run win for Durham in their LV= Insurance County Championship clash against Worcestershire on the day he became the county’s all-time leading first-class wicket taker.
Rushworth claimed his 528th first-class wicket for the club by removing Jack Haynes, breaking his tie with Graham Onions that he matched in the first innings. The 34-year-old notched figures of four for 52, while Mark Wood and Brydon Carse were equally impressive with three and two wickets apiece, to dismiss the visitors for 164.
The emphatic victory moves Durham into second place in Group One in the County Championship, three points behind Essex. Worcestershire dropped their first game of the term, but they remain in fourth place despite their crushing defeat.
Rain prevented play in the first hour of the day, but Daryl Mitchell quickly found his rhythm to pass fifty for the third time this season. Rushworth almost secured his record-breaking scalp when Jake Libby clipped a stroke towards mid-wicket. Jack Burnham attempted to corral the ball, but he could not hang on with a diving effort.
Wood turned to short-pitch bowling to make the breakthrough, hitting the glove of Mitchell, which forced the opener to require treatment. The following delivery Wood went short again, and this time Mitchell fended straight to short leg.
Carse made an immediate impact with his first delivery of the day, pinning Tom Fell lbw for one. It could have been better for Durham in the first hour, but David Bedingham dropped a routine catch at first slip after Ben Raine found Libby’s outside edge.
However, Bedingham atoned for his error to hand Rushworth his record-breaking scalp, collecting a low edge from Haynes to take the seamer clear of Onions. The wicket prompted emotional scenes among his team-mates and a salute to his dad in the Emirates Riverside car park.
Day 4: Reaction Chris Rushworth
Despite the catch, Durham’s problems in the slips continued as Scott Borthwick put down Brett D’Oliveira off Wood, but the England man returned to prise out the batsman in his next over.
Durham smelled blood in the water, and Rushworth jagged a delivery back into Riki Wessels to pin him lbw. Wood performed the same feat to end Libby’s stubborn resistance for 36. Ed Barnard continued the procession and was powerless to feather an edge behind from a fine Carse delivery, leaving the visitors seven down.
After the tea break, Rushworth allowed the home side to close in on their second win of the campaign. He was on the mark to dismiss Joe Leach and Ben Cox lbw, displaying pinpoint accuracy. Borthwick claimed the final wicket to wrap a hugely impressive win for his side to put forward their credentials for the County Championship.
Day 3: Durham 246 & 389/5 declared (Will Young 103, Jack Burnham 102 not out) vs Worcestershire 213 & 60 without loss.
Durham require 10 wickets on the final day of their LV= Insurance County Championship match against Worcestershire after centuries from Will Young and Jack Burnham handed the visitors a daunting fourth-innings chase.
Young provided the foundation with his second century of the season in his final game for the home side. Jack Burnham upped the ante late in the afternoon and notched his first hundred since May 2016. Ned Eckersley also provided a brisk knock of 86 from 57 balls, including six sixes.
Worcestershire’s openers faced a tough final hour, but Daryl Mitchell and Jake Libby remained unbeaten at the close after putting on a stand of 60, although their side require another 363 runs to pull off an unlikely victory at Emirates Riverside.
Durham added only three runs to their overnight total before Joe Leach found Scott Borthwick’s outside edge. Young held firm and worked his way his past fifty, reaching the milestone from 128 balls. He and David Bedingham put on a stand of 69 for the third wicket, but the latter played a loose drive before lunch to a Josh Tongue delivery and was caught behind.
Young picked his moments to grind down the Worcestershire attack, while Burnham provided ample support, allowing Durham to post their third fifty partnership in succession. The New Zealander attempted to bring up his century by pulling Ed Barnard over the rope, only to be put down by Charlie Morris on the square leg boundary.
Young made the most of his opportunity and reached his second century of the season with a crisp on-drive down the ground that travelled to the fence. He failed to add to his score after passing three figures, leaving an inswinger from Tongue that struck his back pad. Durham pressed on through Burnham, who produced a great array of strokes around the wicket. The right-hander put the Worcestershire bowlers to the sword after easing past fifty.
Eckersley proved more than a useful foil at the other end, allowing the home side to accelerate courtesy of a century stand. He smashed a six to reach his half-century before a glut of maximums followed, sending four over the rope in one Brett D’Oliveira over.
Eckersley was caught on the fence after his onslaught before Burnham, who endured a struggle in the nineties, finally reached his ton, ending a five-year drought. The milestone prompted Borthwick to declare with a lead of 422. However, Durham were denied a breakthrough in the final hour as Mitchell and Libby were solid, leaving the visitors unscathed at the close.
Jack Burnham reaction: Day 3
Day 2: Durham 246 & 79 for one vs Worcestershire 213 (Joe Leach 42*, Chris Rushworth 5-56)
Rushworth was at his imperious best to claim figures of five for 56 to put the hosts in a strong position and move level with his former team-mate with 527 first-class strikes for Durham. Brydon Carse and Ben Raine were also on point, although late resistance from Joe Leach kept Worcestershire in the game.
Although the home side lost Alex Lees early in their second innings, Scott Borthwick and Will Young held firm to leave the north-east outfit in control of the contest with a lead of 112 runs.
Durham made a strong start to day two through Rushworth, who began the day by dismissing Daryl Mitchell for the ninth time of his first-class career, pinning the opener lbw with an inswinger. Jake Libby performed well in tough conditions, mustering 24 before he was undone by a brilliant delivery from Raine.
The seamers were on the mark and did not allow Jack Haynes to settle. In his second spell, Rushworth removed Haynes lbw for eight to reduce the visitors at 60 for three. Brett D’Oliveira battled with Tom Fell to take Worcestershire into the lunch break, but the pressure resumed immediately after the restart.
Fell survived a close lbw shout against Raine, but the right-armer plugged away and removed D’Oliveira for 10 in his next over. Fell offered solid resistance, grinding his way into the forties amid excellent bowling from the hosts. He was given a life by Borthwick, who put down a routine chance at second slip off Raine. The Durham captain’s blushes were spared by Carse as he skittled Fell, taking his off and middle stump out of the ground.
Rushworth whittled through the lower order from the Lumley End breaking through Riki Wessels’ defences tbefore pinning Ed Barnard on the crease. Mark Wood and Carse reduced the visitors to nine down by using their pace to prise out Ben Cox and Josh Tongue.
However, Leach frustrated the hosts with a vital knock of 42. The Worcestershire captain produced a fifty partnership with Morris to bring his team within 33 of Durham’s first-innings total. Rushworth wrapped up the innings with his record-equalling scalp to bowl Morris, earning his 28th five-wicket haul in the process.
Worcestershire claimed the vital wicket of Lees before the end of the day, but Young and Borthwick put together an unbeaten stand of 51 to leave Durham in a formidable position at 79 for one in their second innings.
Day 2 Reaction: James Franklin
Day 1
Durham 246 (Alex Lees 99, Josh Tongue 5 for 39) vs Worcestershire 6-0
Alex Lees posts 99 as Durham post 246 on the opening day of their LV= Insurance County Championship clash at Emirates Riverside.
Tongue was on the mark for the visitors to tear through the Durham middle and lower order with figures of five for 39 in his second appearance of the campaign. Alex Lees continued his fine form for the hosts with the bat, falling just short of a deserved century with an innings of 99.
Through Lees’ exploits and an unbeaten 38 from Brydon Carse, the home side worked their way to a competitive total. The Worcestershire openers were faced with a tough three-over spell before bad light brought a premature end to the day with the visitors six without loss.
Worcestershire’s bowlers found their rhythm after inserting the home side. The Durham openers found life tricky against the new ball and Joe Leach, who was rewarded for a fine opening spell when he pinned Will Young lbw with an inswinger. Charlie Morris maintained the pressure for the visitors and removed Scott Borthwick, who edged to Tom Fell at third slip.
Lees and David Bedingham stemmed the tide and saw the home side through to the lunch interval without further damage at 80 for two. The two players put on fifty for the third wicket, but a loose Bedingham drive allowed Morris to break the stand. Lees was the only batsman that seemed comfortable, and he manoeuvred his way to his third fifty of the season from 145 balls.
Tongue turned the day in favour of the visitors as he ended a promising partnership between Lees and Jack Burnham, removing the latter lbw for 23 before using a well-aimed bouncer to force Ned Eckersley to play-on to his stumps.
Lees accelerated the rate of his innings amid the clatter of wickets at the opposite end. He surged his way into the nineties with a fine array of strokes, but was agonsingly caught behind from a wide ball from Leach on 99 on the stroke of tea.
Carse and Mark Wood added valuable runs for the ninth wicket to take Durham past the 200-run mark and their first batting point. However, Tongue wrapped up the innings with two excellent deliveries to skittle Wood and Chris Rushworth to claim his first five-wicket haul of the term.
Day 1 Reaction: Brydon Carse