STUMPS, DAY TWO. Hampshire 119-3 (Carberry 57*) trail Durham 421 all out (Muchall 145, Richardson 91, Arshad 60) by 302 runs with seven first innings wickets remaining.
Video highlights – Click here Scorecard – Click Points – Durham 3, Hampshire 2.
Gordon Muchall completed a match-changing century before Hampshire stuttered in their response on day two at the Ageas Bowl.
Muchall reached three figures for the 14th time in his first-class career before the Durham attack restricted the hosts to 119 for three at the close.
Muchall said: “I’ve been batting well in the last couple of weeks and not been able to get a score.
“I was disappointed with my shot in the second innings against Warwickshire so it was important for me to get a big score this week.
“It was nice to get a decent partnership with Michael yesterday and then push on today to get 400 which is a couple above par on that wicket.
“Take a few early wickets tomorrow and we will be right in the box seat.
“Benny [Arshad] played brilliantly today and he is quite an aggressive batsman so when he’s in his zone he scores quite freely.
“The wicket wasn’t a free scoring wicket, it is a little bit two paced and a bit of up and movement.
“It was important to get another partnership and put a good total on the board.
“We didn’t get maximum batting points but a big first innings in the game will set us up in the game, early wickets tomorrow and we are in the box seat.”
On a grim and grey day at the Ageas Bowl, Muchall continued where he left off the previous evening, frustrating Hampshire with his patient brand of cricket.
Muchall had rebuilt Durham’s innings on the opening day, with Michael Richardson, after they had slumped to 91 for four at lunch.
And the 32-year-old batsman reached his second ton of the season in 229 balls in a six hour marathon at the crease.
He and Usman Arshad strode past a third batting point on their way to a 128-run stand for the seventh wicket.
Arshad scored his first fifty since September 2013 – with a 92-ball effort before he edged Gareth Berg to James Vince at first slip for 60.
Australian John Hastings added some impetus by slapping Liam Dawson over the ropes for a maximum – but fell for 22 sweeping across the line to give leg spinner Mason Crane his maiden First Class wicket.
Dawson – who is celebrating a century of first-class matches – collected his 150th format wicket when he finally managed to find a way to see off Muchall, who departed for a match changing 145, before Graham Onions slogged to Jackson Bird. Durham bowled out for 421, their highest total of the season.
Chris Rushworth bagged his 56th County Championship wicket of the season as Hampshire’s reply started with a stutter. He pinned Jimmy Adams, who stepped down from captaincy this week to concentrate on his batting, in the seventh over.
Dawson then mistimed a pull shot to Arshad at mid-off off Hastings after putting on 30 with Michael Carberry.
James Vince looked in good touch with a couple of trademarked cover drives but edged Ryan Pringle to Paul Collingwood at first slip as he looked set on 19.
Carberry, who returned to the top of the order after a stint at number three, scored his sixth half century of the season – although he is still yet to reach three figures – brought up in 93 balls.
The former England Test batsman sweetly timed a hook shot for a six to reach 57 when the rain stopped play just after 5pm, with Will Smith ably reaching 27.
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STUMPS, DAY ONE. Durham 278-6 (Richardson 91, Muchall 85*) lead Hampshire by 278 runs with four first innings wickets remaining.
Video highlights – Click here Scorecard – Click here Points – Durham 2, Hampshire 2.
Jackson Bird stunted a Durham afternoon comeback with two wickets in two balls on day one at the Ageas Bowl.
Australian fast bowler Bird produced a thunderous spell with the second new ball to end an excellent 142-run fifth wicket stand between Michael Richardson and Gordon Muchall.
Richardson departed nine runs short of what would have been an attritional fifth career first-class century and Muchall ended on an unbeaten 85 as Durham reached 278 for six at the close.
Richardson said: “It’s nice to get a biggish contribution, I’ve had a strange season so far so to put my foot down and kick on past 50 was nice.
“It was very disappointing to get out for 91, it was a bit of a sucker punch but he is obvious Test match class. He showed that by shaping to swing it away and it just nipped back.
“I think the wicket is quite hard to score on. You only have to look at the amount of boundaries scored in the day, they were very disciplined.
“That’s what you get from Gareth Berg he doesn’t really miss his spot and Tommo and Jackson Bird showed their class by bowling straight.
“The leg spinner [Mason Crane] was really impressive. He didn’t bowl many bad balls on his Championship debut, he bowled very well.
“We are going to try and get as many as we can and hopfully the cracks broaden and it starts to turn more and more difficult to score.
“I think it’s pretty even at the moment but it depend on how the tail come off tomorrow we can push past 300 and keep counting from there.”
After losing the toss under blue skies and a green tinged wicket, bottom side Hampshire struck in the first over of the match as Mark Stoneman was trapped on the pads by the pacy Bird.
And the former Northamptonshire seamer nearly had Scott Borthwick the next delivery but Liam Dawson – who was recalled from his successful loan from Essex last week – shelled it at second slip.
James Tomlinson was not included in the last two County Championship games at Middlesex and Worcestershire after only taking 16 wickets in his first seven matches of the season.
But Tomlinson came back with a bang as he picked up two scalps before lunch. He picked up his first in the sixth over when he had first-class debutant Graham Clark plumb in front before veteran all-rounder Paul Collingwood chipped to Jimmy Adams at mid-off.
Dawson dropped Borthwick for a second time on 15, but had the last laugh when he had him lbw to the last ball of the morning session attempting to play a leg-side shot – departing for one short of a third fifty in four innings.
Richardson and Muchall came out after the lunch break with survival on their minds and steered Durham back on track with a hard grafted 142 run stand
Richardson in particular impressed with his slow paced 121 ball fifty – his fourth of the season – before his batting partner reached the same milestone in an equally sluggish 136 balls.
Hampshire’s attack bowled with more control than in previous four-day matches this season, but could not make a breakthrough in the afternoon.
Neither batsmen offered a sniff of a chance until Bird made the double breakthrough with the second new ball.
Bird fashioned an in-ducker to Richardson, who didn’t offer a shot as he was struck in front, before Ryan Pringle edged to Vince at first slip next ball – to celebrate his 150th First Class wicket – the Australian finished with figures of three for 80.
Usman Arshad blocked out the hat trick delivery but in the next over the all-rounder edged to Gareth Berg at third slip but the former Italian international spilled a tough chance diving forward.