Close, Day Four: Durham (607/7d; Burnham 135, Collingwood 106*) drew with Surrey (457 & 244/6; Curran 54)
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Durham drew a third consecutive Specsavers County Championship match after running out of time to force a result against Surrey at the Oval.
Captain Paul Collingwood moved clear as Durham’s leading first-class century maker, his 22nd for the County and 32nd career ton, as Durham declared after an hour.
Ben Stokes briefly threatened a collapse with three-wicket burst and at five down before tea, it looked as though Durham could come up trumps.
But Ben Foakes and Tom Curran provided stern resistance in putting on 83 for the sixth wicket, but more importantly absorbed vital overs to see the hosts home safely.
The full session lost to the elements on Day Two therefore proved a huge blow as Jon Lewis’ side remain without a defeat – or a victory – from the opening three games.
Collingwood, starting the day 75*, knew time was of the essence and attempted to up the tempo alongside Brydon Carse.
Carse, previously without a run in first-class cricket, rode his luck with a pair of top edges but ended 30* in an unbroken eighth wicket stand of 81.
The captain was the centre of record-breaking attention after reaching his century the day after breaking the 15,000-run marker in first-class cricket.
Two shots later with the total on 607 and the lead at 150, Collingwood declared to try and force a positive result, knowing that Zafar Ansari would potentially not bat after leaving the field with a heavily bruised thumb yesterday.
Arun Harinath and Rory Burns played out the hour before lunch as a fairly lifeless pitch offered little inspiration to Durham’s bowlers.
However, three quick wickets for 31 runs from talisman Stokes reignited Durham’s hopes.
Harinath was lbw on the back foot, Burns was superbly caught by Michael Richardson down the leg side before the prized wicket of Kumar Sanagakkara, pouched by Scott Borthwick.
Borthwick then completed a stunning catch in Carse’s first over to dismiss Jason Roy and Steven Davies nicked behind to Richardson as Surrey teetered slightly on 139/5, still in arrears.
But wicketkeeper Foakes teamed up with Curran to half the visitors’ advances either side of the tea break.
Borthwick had a large lbw appeal turned away against Foakes but chances were few and far between as Surrey fended off everything thrown their way.
There was a breakthrough with ten overs to go as Curran nicked off to the returning Chris Rushworth but it was too little, too late and the captains shook hands shortly after.
Durham took 12 points from the fixture as they look ahead to Lancashire’s visit a week on Sunday.
Close, Day Three: Durham (543/7; Burnham 135, Borthwick 77, Collingwood 75*, Richardson 68) lead Surrey (457; Harinath 96, Davies 87; Stokes 117) by 86 runs
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Jack Burnham became Durham’s third-youngest Championship centurion while Paul Collingwood also passed a major milestone as Durham registered their highest first-class score against Surrey at the Oval.
The 19-year-old’s outstanding innings of 135 was the backbone of Durham’s innings as three others made half centuries in a run-filled day for the visitors.
En route to his 75* at the close, Collingwood also passed 15,000 career first-class runs in the month of his 40th birthday.
Michael Richardson saw Burnham through to his century before reaching fifty while Scott Borthwick chalked up the milestone earlier in the day.
It leaves Durham in a positive positon ahead of the final day, needing quick runs and wickets tomorrow to try and force their first victory of the season.
But the day belonged to Burnham in striking a magnificent maiden century for the club, behind only Nicky Peng and Ben Stokes as the youngest to make three figures for Durham in first-class cricket.
Having closed the previous day on the offensive, Burnham was slightly more reserved on Day Three and gave away few opportunities.
Borthwick edged Zafar Ansari wide of slip but the pair set the tone for the day, bringing up consecutive fifties either side of their century partnership.
The left-hander looked good to convert to a century but fell in similar to fashion to Mark Stoneman the previous day, lbw to Gareth Batty’s spin just before the lunch break.
Ben Stokes fell cheaply after the break, returning a catch back to Ansari, but Richardson entered as he and Burnham cruised through the early afternoon with few troubles.
The 19-year-old moved into the nineties with consecutive boundaries off Ansari before scrambling a single on 99, soaking in the acclaim from an appreciative Oval crowd.
Such was his composure at the crease, it was surprise when Burnham eventually perished in the deep on 135 from a Tom Curran short ball, but the number four had already played an innings that will live long in the memory.
Tea came one run shy of the final batting bonus point mark and with two overs left to reach it, Richardson completed the honours after two deliveries and the attention turned to eclipsing Surrey’s 457.
The South African nicked behind just shy of a ton partnership with Collingwood but the skipper carried on the good work, bringing up his own half century from 65 balls.
Ryan Pringle’s brisk innings was ended by Curran but the skipper remained intact at the close of play as his side look to force the issue on tomorrow’s final day.
Close, Day Two: Durham (156/2) trail Surrey (457; Harinath 96, Davies 87; Stokes 117) by 301 runs
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Rain once again blighted a day of Specsavers County Championship cricket, disrupting Durham’s strong retort to Surrey’s 457 all out on Day Two at the Oval.
Mark Stoneman and Keaton Jennings’ opening stand of 114, including half centuries for both, set the tone for a robust reply after the hosts’ tail wagged sufficiently in the morning session.
They both fell to spin within nine balls but Scott Borthwick and Jack Burnham saw Durham through until tea on 149/2.
There was enough time to pass 150 after the break but following a shorter spell of rain, a larger front moved in and no further play was possible before the umpires called stumps shortly before 6pm.
Ben Stokes earlier took two of the remaining three wickets as Surrey’s tail held firm, adding 48 for the final two wickets and held firm by veteran spinner Gareth Batty.
Batty was the last man out, bowled by Stokes, while he also had debutant Matt Pillans caught superbly low down by Scott Borthwick at second slip.
Brydon Carse took the other wicket, inducing a false stroke from Ben Foakes to edge to Michael Richardson after he started fluently in the opening overs, but the hosts added a few more runs than Paul Collingwood will have liked to their overnight score.
Stoneman and Jennings saw off the four over mini-session before lunch and set about making serious inroads after the break, with both looking at their fluent best.
Stoneman, a centurion in the only innings against Middlesex last week, reached 50 from 59 balls before Jennings followed shortly after.
However, the introduction of spin from both ends set Durham back with a double strike.
Jennings was first to depart, attempting to sweep Zafar Ansari but proceeding to bottom edge onto his stumps, before Stoneman was adjudged lbw to Batty nine balls later.
Borthwick then survived a close stumping shout but it did not deter him and Burnham, who took the attack to Ansari by launching him for two sixes.
Just 5.3 overs were possible after the break as the rain intervened once again, as it has done all-too often already during the first three Champinship fixtures.
Close, Day One: Surrey (371/7; Harinath 96, Davies 87) vs Durham
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Three wickets for 21 runs with the second new ball led a Durham fight back after a tough Day One against Surrey at the Oval.
Two century partnerships put the hosts in control throughout separate sessions but two clusters of wickets ensured Durham kept in touch all the way.
Chris Rushworth picked up wickets in successive overs before tea, removing Steven Davies (87) and Arun Harinath (96), to pull the game back towards parity.
England international Jason Roy then put on 112 with Zafar Ansari before Durham’s bowlers retaliated once again, with three bowlers picking up wickets in the closing overs.
Paul Collingwood elected not to bowl first but the coin toss fell in Surrey skipper Gareth Batty’s favour and he opted to have first use of a cracking surface under sunshine in the capital.
The first session was a hard-fought affair with Durham’s seamers keeping it tight and Surrey’s batsmen playing diligently.
Ben Stokes eventually had the breakthrough with a beautiful delivery that removed Rory Burns’ off-stump before Brydon Carse claimed the prized wicket of Kumar Sangakkara, just his fourth first-class victim, as Surrey reached 111/2 by lunch.
Ex-Durham man Sangakkara, who stroked 171 and 71 in Surrey’s previous Championship match last week, looked in prime form before the youngster forced a rare error of judgment and he chopped on to his own stumps.
His wicket brought Davies to the crease and the left-hander teamed up with opener Harinath to repel Durham’s advances in the afternoon session, seemingly making it through unscathed until tea.
But Rushworth’s return brought about the downfall of both batsmen.
Davies skewed to gully where Keaton Jennings pouched an excellent diving catch before Harinath fell four shy of three figures, getting a bottom edge of an attempted pull and looping a simple catch to Mark Stoneman.
Roy struck eight fours in a counter-attacking, post-tea knock as he and fellow England hopeful made use of a short boundary on one side of the Oval. But his downfall came with the second new ball as an ugly flip into the legside against Graham Onions which resulted in a gentle catch to mid on.
And Jon Lewis’ bowlers got just rewards for a day of graft with Ansari thin-edging a cut at Stokes six overs before stumps and Brydon Carse having Tom Curran also caught behind for a duck.