Day 4
Set 292 to win off 82 overs after a declaration and two forfeitures, Leicestershire appeared to be cruising to victory when a heavy rain shower at the start of the final hour ended play with the Foxes needing just 84 to win from 16.1 overs in their Bob Willis Trophy match against Durham at the Fischer County Ground.
Hard though the groundstaff, assisted by Leicestershire head coach Paul Nixon and his staff, worked to clear the covers, umpires Nick Cook and Neil Mallender felt the ground needed too long to dry to the point where it was safe for play to resume.
The loss of 186.4 overs to the weather over the first three days meant the fourth day began with Durham still in their first innings on 250-7, but negotiations between Ackerman and opposite number Ned Eckersley had clearly been fruitful, as Ackermann threw the ball to opening batsmen Sam Evans and Hassan Azad, neither of whom had previously bowled in first-class cricket.
Remarkably, and to a mixture of amusement and embarrassment, leg-spinner Azad picked up a wicket with just his second delivery, a ‘wrong ‘un’ that spun back sharply and stayed low to bowl batsman Bryden Carse off his pads.
Eckersley and Ben Raine, both former Leicestershire players, then swatted away a few full tosses until Eckersley declared the innings closed, with two forfeited innings following.
Azad and Evans, in rather more familiar roles, added 34 for the Foxes’ opening partnership before Carse extracted a measure of revenge, coming on and immediately bowling Azad with a full in-swinging delivery that took the inside edge and knocked out leg stump.
Evans was joined by Harry Dearden, and the young left-hander looked in good touch in going to 23 until Raine pinned him leg before with an in-swinger delivered from around the wicket. Evans dug in, and with Ackermann playing relatively fluently on a wicket of no great pace, passed 50 for the first time for the Foxes, off 134 balls, hitting four boundaries.
The 22-year-old Evans was finally dismissed for 85, clubbing a full toss from occasional leg spinner Cameron Steel straight to mid-on, but Ackermann reached his 50, off 93 balls, and looked to be steering his side to victory when the weather cruelly intervened for a final time.
Day 3
Both captains indicated their readiness to set up a final day run chase after just 8.5 overs were possible on the third day of the Bob Willis Trophy first class match between Leicestershire and Durham at the Fischer County Ground.
Durham added 23 runs to their overnight score of 227-6, but lost the wicket of Paul Coughlin, caught at point by Sam Evans off the bowling of Gavin Griffiths.
“There’s definitely a possibility of setting something up, it’s a short competition with wins vital, so it could make for exciting cricket on the last day – if we’re luckier with the weather,” said Leicestershire skipper Colin Ackerman.
Durham Captain Ned Eckersley agreed. “It’s going to take some positive discussions to find a target we’re both comfortable with – we’d probably want a few more than 250 – but both sides will want a positive outcome,” the Durham captain said.
“We’ve all spent too much time not playing cricket this year, and every player and every member of the coaching staff on both sides will want an exciting last day. We don’t want to come and bat for bonus points.”
Day 2
Rain and bad light meant only 22.3 overs were possible, during which 51 runs were scored and three wickets fell, on the second day of the Bob Willis Trophy first-class match between Leicestershire and Durham at the Fischer County Ground.
After the morning was lost to the weather, play began shortly before one o’clock, and Durham quickly lost the wicket of opener Alex Lees, who had added two to his overnight score of 62 when the left-hander was given out off a ball from Foxes’ seamer Tom Taylor which was caught by wicketkeeper Harry Swindells.
Lees was replaced by Jack Burnham, who hit six boundaries, five sweetly struck through the off-side, in going to 31, and who had built an unbroken partnership of 43 for the fifth wicket with Gareth Harte (14 not out) when the light closed in again and the umpires called an early tea.
On the return – again delayed – Burnham edged a Will Davis out-swinger to second slip, where Colin Ackermann took a neat catch low to his left, and two balls later Harte edged a fine delivery from Gareth Griffiths, Swindells taking the catch two handed to his right.
Day 2 Reaction
Day 1
A third wicket partnership of 159 left Durham in a strong position when rain caused an early close of play on the first day of their Bob Willis Trophy match against Leicestershire at the Fischer County Ground.
It was an impressive recovery from the visitors, who after being put in to bat under grey skies might have feared the worst after being reduced to 17-2.
Opener Sean Dickson poked tentatively at a Dieter Klein delivery pushed across him by the left-arm seamer to edge a simple catch to wicket-keeper Harry Swindells, and Cameron Steel, having scored just one, edged an out-swinger from Gavin Griffiths to Hassan Azad at first slip.
Alex Lees and David Bedingham had other ideas, however, taking advantage of the lack of seam movement and a fast outfield to score quickly.
Lees looked in good touch, particularly when driving straight, but Bedingham needed two moments of good fortune, firstly when he was dropped on 24, a straightforward edge off Tom Taylor put down by Swindells, and then on 37, when he advanced down the pitch to left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson and was beaten by the turn, only for Swindells to fail to gather the ball.
Bedingham was the first to his half-century, made off just 70 balls and reached by lofting Ackermann for a huge six over midwicket, with Lees following in a more circumspect manner soon afterwards, off 103 balls. The occasional ball was turning for the spinners, but slowly, and with runs continuing to flow Ackermann turned back to his seamers to try and regain control of the scoreboard. Bedingham continued to prosper, but on 96 and looking for the boundary required to bring up his century, edged a drive at a Taylor out-swinger and Ackermann took a neat catch low to his left at second slip.
Shortly afterwards a shower saw the umpires take the players off for an early tea, with 38 overs remaining, and Lees undefeated on 62. A restart was planned for 4.45pm, but the rain became heavier and play was abandoned for the day shortly before 5.30pm
Day 1 reaction