Day 4
A five-wicket haul from Simon Harmer led Essex to a sensational comeback victory over Durham at Chelmsford in the LV= Insurance County Championship.
Defending LV= Insurance County Championship and Bob Willis Trophy champions Essex had been bowled out for 96 in the first innings and gave up a 163-run first-innings deficit, only to win by 44 runs.
The equation for the last day was simple; Durham required 108 runs and Essex needed seven wickets.
Jack Burnham ticked four off the target with the second ball of the day, a well-timed flick off his legs, having scored an enterprising 31 the previous evening.
Burnham and Borthwick’s partnership past 50, with the latter only contributing 13 to it, but only reached 63 before Harmer struck for the first time.
With 85 required, Burnham departed for 43 when he rocked onto the back foot and hoicked straight to Tom Westley at long-on.
Adam Wheater thought he had stumped Borthwick in Harmer’s next over, to earn a reprimand from the umpires, only for the off-spinner to pin the first-innings century-maker when going back, 80 still needed.
And only another run had been added six balls later when Sam Cook, who returned figures of three for 17, had Stuart Poynter lbw.
Ben Raine lasted just five balls before Harmer flicked his pad to take his third wicket in 11 balls.
With 60 to win, Ned Eckersley, tickled Harmer around the corner to Dan Lawrence at leg slip.
Harmer completed his second five-for in the match when Brydon Carse, who had a runner due to a swollen ankle sustained while bowling, was lbw.
Harmer’s match figures an impressive 10 for 136.
Jamie Porter completed the victory when he sent Matt Salisbury’s middle stump tumbling.
Durham return to action on Thursday, when they host Derbyshire at Emirates Riverside.
Day 4 Reaction: James Franklin
Day 3
Brydon Carse took a five wicket haul, before Borthwick and Burnham provided a fightback with the bat, with the Durham requiring 108 runs to win on the final day in Chelmsford.
Essex’s last three wickets added a combined 122, with all-rounder Walter’s 77 and fast bowler Allison’s 52 producing an incredible match swing – after the home side had been skittled for 96 in the first innings.
Having been bowled out for 330, and set Durham 168 to win, Sam Cook and Jamie Porter struck three times with the new ball to leave the visitors on 60 for three, and still requiring 108 more runs on the fourth day.
Durham’s target to win looked a nervy one and after two wickets before a run had been scored it appeared all the more anxious.
Will Young shouldered his arms at Sam Cook for 0, before Alex Lees was lbw to Jamie Porter.
It took 35 balls before Durham got off the mark, and only 20 runs were on the board when David Bedingham cut to Allison at point.
Scott Borthwick dropped anchor and having been one off 39 and six off 67 at points, he ended the day on nine from 88 deliveries, with Jack Burnham reaching an enterprising 31 not out, to swing the pendulum slightly towards Durham.
At 11am, both sides had clear game plans for the third day – with blue skies overhead.
The former’s mission to take four quick tail-end wickets started perfectly as Ben Raine pinned Simon Harmer with the third ball of the day. But slowly Essex’s hopes of stealing a win grew with back-to-back 50 run partnerships.
Walter converted his overnight 49 to a half-century with the fifth ball he’d faced – a cut to the boundary to reach the milestone in 74 deliveries. He and Allison negotiated the second new ball on their way to a 58-run stand for the eighth wicket.
Walter departed for a career-best 77 when the impressive Brydon Carse angled across and found an edge behind.
Allison then moved to his maiden career fifty, from 144 balls, as he and Sam Cook continued to tick along.
After an extended interval to pay respect to Prince Phillip, Carse ended Allison’s resolve by striking him in front of middle stump four balls after the resumption before Cook edged behind for 37. Carse returning figures of five for 82.
Day 2
Scott Borthwick and Brydon Carse took two wickets apiece for Durham to leave Essex facing a first home LV= Insurance County Championship defeat for almost three years.
Leg spinner Borthwick, who had handed the visitors the advantage with a first-innings 100, claimed Ryan ten Doeschate and Adam Wheater in quick succession, after quick Carse had broken a 103-run stand between half-century maker Dan Lawrence and Tom Westley.
Essex, who last lost at the Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford in June 2018, ended the day on 208 for six, with a slender lead of 45.
Earlier, Stuart Poynter scored 52 not out, Matt Salisbury made his highest first-class score and Simon Harmer produced his 21st five-wicket haul for Essex as Durham boasted a 163 run first-innings lead.
After 18 wickets had fallen on an eccentric first day, Essex would have expected to take the final two Durham wickets quickly.
That wasn’t to happen as Poynter, Salisbury and Chris Rushworth batted throughout the morning session to score 111 runs, and take the lead to 163.
Poynter and Salisbury had serenely sailed through the majority of the session with a club-record ninth-wicket partnership against Essex of 94.
Salisbury, who started his career at Essex, had matched his more recognised partner as he passed his previous best first-class score of 37.
But on 41 he became Harmer’s fifth scalp of the innings when he guided the ball straight to Ryan ten Doeschate at short leg.
Rushworth arrived to help guide Poynter to an eighth red-ball half-century, from 100 balls, before the number 11 unfurled three boundaries including a beautiful cover drive off Harmer.
Sam Cook rounded off the innings two and a half overs into the second new ball, as Rushworth edged to Alastair Cook at first slip – Sam Cook returning three for 57, while Harmer’s final analysis was five for 79.
Essex’s nightmare first morning, where they slumped to 36 for five, looked in danger of being replicated when Nick Browne was bowled by Rushworth and Alastair Cook chipped to midwicket.
But from 19 for two, Lawrence and Westley recovered with a sublime 103-run stand to drag Essex back towards equality.
Lawrence, who made his Test debut over the winter, looked supreme scoring 12 boundaries in his 76 – his fifty coming up in 93 balls.
Westley was more stoic in his scoring, working almost exclusively with his favourable legside before he wafted outside his off stump to nick Carse to first slip to spark a flurry of wickets.
Carse then added Lawrence to his victims as he persuaded the batter to pick out Will Young on the deep midwicket boundary.
Essex edged themselves into the lead four down lost ten Doeschate with lead on one –Borthwick taking a stunning return catch from a low full toss, before the captain found Wheater’s outside edge.
Day 2: Stuart Poynter
Day 1
Scott Borthwick collected his first century since returning to Durham after Essex were skittled out for under 100 at the Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford for the first time since 2014
Borthwick returned to his home county this winter after four seasons at Surrey before scoring exactly 100 – his first hundred for the club since May 2016 – as Durham ended the day 144 for seven, with a 48 run lead.
Defending Bob Willis Trophy and LV= Insurance County Championship champions Essex were skittled for 96 – with the 94 scored against Derbyshire in 2014 the last time they had been routed for under three figures.
Chris Rushworth and Brydon Carse both claimed three wickets, while former Essex paceman Matt Salisbury and Ben Raine also took two apiece.
Essex had won the toss and elected to bat first, on pitch and in conditions not dissimilar to the one which saw 993 runs in a dull draw the week before, but they lost Nick Browne to the third ball of the match, as the opener chopped Rushworth on.
Tom Westley, on the back of a double century against Worcestershire last week, and Alastair Cook both departed in quick succession – the former caught behind while expansively driving at Salisbury and the latter lbw.
The hosts slumped to 36 for five as Carse claimed two wickets in an over when Paul Walter dragged on and Ryan ten Doeschate attempted to duck but periscoped the ball to third slip.
Carse provided more heat as he struck Adam Wheater on the hip and shoulder, as the wicketkeeper and Dan Lawrence battled to put on 38.
After lunch, Essex lost three wickets for two runs as the collapse returned, falling from 74 for five to 76 for eight.
Wheater tentatively prodded to second slip, Lawrence was bowled, and Simon Harmer rocked onto the back foot and edged to a stooping first slip.
Rushworth and Carse cleared up the tail with Ben Allison caught behind and Sam Cook bounced out.
A similar wicket tumble was threatened by Durham when Alex Lees edged behind in the fourth over to hand Sam Cook his 100th first-class wicket for Essex, but Borthwick and Will Young raced past the home side’s score in 27 overs.
Whatever gremlins Essex had found evaded Borthwick has he stormed to a 64-ball half-century, brought up with a sweet sweep.
Harmer struck in consecutive overs as Young turned around the corner to Lawrence at leg slip and David Bedingham skied to mid-off.
Jack Burnham and Ned Eckersley also departed, before Borthwick raised his bat on a popular 118-ball hundred – after back-to-back boundaries off Allison.
Borthwick was bowled by a ball that barely bounced before Carse shouldered his arms at a sharp turner after Lawrence entered due to bad light.
Five overs were lost for a delay for bad light but in a 2.4 over return, Raine edged Harmer to first slip – the spinner ending the day with figures of four for 41.
Day 1 reaction: Scott Borthwick