Day One
Liam Trevaskis claimed a maiden first-class half-century as Durham dug in to close on 210/8 on Day One of the Specsavers County Championship Division Two contest against Sussex.
Trevaskis put on 103 for the sixth wicket with Ned Eckersley, who made 40, as Durham stayed patient amid tight bowling from the visitors’ seamers.
Trevaskis led a fightback in the evening session with a series of classy strokes through the off side before a late surge from Chris Jordan ensured that Sussex ended the day in the ascendancy.
After Sussex inserted Durham following no toss, Cameron Steel saw his off stump pegged back before new skipper Cameron Bancroft arrived at the crease to join Lees.
He battled for an hour at the crease before he was bowled by Mir Hamza for 12, leaving the home side at 17-2. Gareth Harte and Bancroft were able hold out until the lunch break, edging Durham over the 50-run mark.
Robinson returned from the Finchale End and broke the stand at 46, bowling Harte for 18. The Sussex seamer was in rhythm and notched his third wicket of the day when he trapped Jack Burnham lbw for a duck. Bancroft’s resistance was proving vital for the home side to keep the visitors at bay, despite the slow progress in the middle.
However, the Durham skipper was removed by David Wiese after facing 159 deliveries, edging to Jordan at first slip.
At 97-5, the home side were in danger but Trevaksis and Eckersley, on debut, kept Sussex at bay amid precise bowling from Robinson, Hamza and Jordan.
The duo put on the first fifty partnership of the innings from 114 deliveries, defying the visitors’ attempt to take control. Trevaskis displayed a fluency that his team-mates had failed to discover at the crease. The left-hander finding the boundary to pass his previous highest first-class score of 27.
Eckersley’s impressive knock was ended on 40 when he played a loose drive from a Jordan delivery, knicking behind to Ben Brown, which ended a fine stand of 93 with Trevaskis.
Jordan then made a late burst for Sussex striking twice in two ball, removing Trevaskis for 54 and James Weighell for a golden duck, finishing the day on a high note for the visitors.
Day Two
Close, Day Two: Durham 224 (Trevaskis 54) & 31/1 lead Sussex 202 (Wells 98*) by 53 runs.
Chris Rushworth (4-41) and James Weighell (3-41) helped Durham reduce Sussex to just 202 and a handed the hosts a slim lead at the end of Day Two.
Durham appeared to have taken control of the contest after Weighell and Rushworth combined to reduce Sussex to 71-7. However, Luke Wells’ unbeaten 98 led a rearguard action with the tail, adding 131 for the final three wickets to frustrate Durham, although he fell agonisingly short of a deserved century.
Ollie Robinson struck early in Durham’s second innings, but Alex Lees and Cameron Bancroft were unbeaten at the close, leaving the north-east outfit 53 runs ahead going into day three.
Durham began the day on 210-8, but were quickly dismissed after adding only 14 to their overnight total. David Wiese and Robinson removed Ben Raine and Rushworth respectively.
In response, Rushworth made inroads into the Sussex batting order in his first over as Phil Salt played a loose drive to fall for two. Wells was fortunate not to be run out by Raine, who missed the stumps with a throw from 10 yards. Raine did atone for his miss, striking to dismiss Tom Haines for 22.
Weighell took control before lunch, finding a rhythm from the Finchale End. He notched the crucial scalp of Stiaan van Zyl, who edged to Bancroft at second slip. Laurie Evans and Ben Brown soon followed, leaving the visitors reeling at 62-5 at lunch.
Matters did not improve after the interval for Sussex. Rushworth replaced Weighell, and enjoyed the same success as his team-mate. He bowled Matthew Burgess for nine before removing David Wiese’s off-stump.
Amid the chaos at the other end, Wells maintained his vigil after previously surviving when he edged the ball between Jack Burnham and Bancroft in the slip cordon. He made the most of his opportunity, building a vital partnership with Chris Jordan to stem the tide. The 28-year-old made his fifty from 122 deliveries, scoring seven boundaries.
The partnership was broken on 48 when Jordan drilled a Gareth Harte delivery at Raine. Wells stayed home, forcing his partner to turn back halfway down the track. The throw from Raine was good enough for Ned Eckersley to run out Jordan for 25.
Wells kept the visitors’ resistance alive, forming another stand with Robinson to thwart the Durham attack. The left-hander began to pierce the field to find the boundary with regularity, whittling down the deficit. Robinson made a solid 14 before he was bowled by Matt Salisbury, leaving Wells with the last man Mir Hamza.
Hamza held his own to allow Wells to open his arms to bring Sussex within 29 runs of the home side’s total at the tea break. Wells look poised to notch his fifth century against Durham, but Hamza’s defences gave way to Rushworth after 57 minutes at the crease, leaving his team-mate two runs shy of three figures.
Durham began their second innings with a lead of 22, only to be immediately pegged back when Robinson trapped Steel lbw for a duck. Lees and Bancroft were able to drop anchor in the remaining overs before the close as the hosts ended the day 31-1, 53 runs head of Sussex.
Day Three
Close, Day Three: Durham 224 (Trevaskis 54) & 189 (Harte 74*) lead Sussex Sussex 202 (Wells 98*) 144/3 (Van Zyl 66*) by 68 runs.
Gareth Harte’s excellent innings was not enough to put Durham in contention to claim their first win of the season and a strong performance with the bat and ball on Day Three has left the visitors who require 68 runs on the final day – in the driving seat.
David Wiese put his team in contention by producing a fine spell of bowling to claim five wickets, dismissing the home side for 189 in their second innings. Gareth Harte scored 74 vital runs for the north-east outfit to set a decent chase of 212 for the visitors.
Stiaan van Zyl dropped anchor after Durham made early inroads. The South African scored an unbeaten half-century to put his team within sight of victory at the close, leaving the home side in need of a dramatic turnaround on day four.
Durham’s Alex Lees fell from his first delivery of the morning, edging behind to Ben Brown off Wiese. It would be theme of the opening session as the visitors were able to take command. Harte should have followed Lees back to the pavilion, but he was dropped on 13 by Laurie Evans at mid-wicket – it would prove to be costly one for Sussex.
However, Mir Hamza made further inroads for the visitors, claiming the vital wicket of Cameron Bancroft. The Aussie played a loose drive and was caught behind for 22, while Jack Burnham was pinned lbw for five. At 70-4, Durham were in need of a partnership to stem the tide. Ned Eckersley joined Harte at the crease and the duo were able to put together a stand of 35.
Eckersley notched back-to-back boundaries off the medium pace of Tom Haines, but then slapped the next ball straight to Evans. His dismissal sparked a collapse as the hosts lost three wickets for one run. Liam Trevasksis and Ben Raine were removed by Wiese in the space of three deliveries, leaving Durham in trouble at 106-7, with a lead of only 128.
Durham followed the example of Sussex’s lower order from day two, with a spell of defiance of their own. James Weighell combined with Harte to add 44 for the eighth wicket. Wiese was the key man for the visitors again to break their stand before accounting for the scalp of Matt Salisbury, claiming his fifth wicket of the innings.
Harte continued his impressive knock, reaching his second fifty of the campaign from 113 deliveries, and his two boundaries highlighted his patience on a slow pitch. He added 37 runs for the final wicket with Rushworth to take Durham’s lead over the 200-run mark before Jordan ended the innings, although Harte finished unbeaten on 74.
Sussex lost early wickets in their chase of 212. Phil Salt and Haines were both out cheaply falling to Rushworth and Raine respectively. Wells and Van Zyl formed a partnership to see off the threat of the new ball. Both batsmen applied themselves well at the crease, taking few risks with their shot selection. The pair put on fifty to whittle down the deficit below the 150-run mark.
Wells was continuing to be a thorn in the side of the hosts, but Salisbury struck to break the partnership for 83. Van Zyl continued his knock, reaching his fifty from 89 balls, putting the pressure on Durham. He ended the day unbeaten to leave his team on 144-3 at the close, needing only 68 runs to secure the win.
Day Four
Close, Day Four: Durham 224 (Trevaskis 54) & 189 (Harte 74*) were beaten by Sussex Sussex 202 (Wells 98*) & 212/4 (Van Zyl 101*) by 6 wickets.
Stiaan van Zyl scored an unbeaten century to guide Sussex to their first Specsavers County Championship Division Two victory of the season, defeating Durham by six wickets at Emirates Riverside.
Beginning the final day on 144-3, the visitors still had a challenge to score the 68 runs that would carry them over the line on a gloomy morning. Van Zyl contiuned brilliant knock second innings, defying the hosts with a resilient performance before upping the ante.
Laurie Evans did offer a chance in the morning session when he drilled a Chris Rushworth delivery straight to Jack Burnham at cover.
Evans made the most of his second life, reaching fifty from 104 deliveries. Van Zyl then reached three figures with a nudge down to fine leg. Salisbury removed Evans for 51, but Ben Brown knocked off the winning runs to guide Sussex over the line, capping a fine performance on the road from his side.
Durham will be frustrated by the manner of their defeat, failing to capitalise on advantageous positions in the match. They reduced the visitors to 71-7 in their first innings following fine bowling from James Weighell and Rushworth. However, Wells, who played the innings of the match with an unbeaten 98, managed to grind out 131 runs for the final three wickets, bringing Sussex within 22 runs of Durham’s first-innings total.
After losing quick wickets on the morning of day three, Durham appeared to be grinding out a solid partnership with Gareth Harte and Ned Eckersley at the crease. However, after scoring back-to-back boundaries, Eckersley smashed a delivery from medium-pacer Tom Haines straight at Evans.
The wicket sparked a collapse as Liam Trevaskis and Ben Raine fell within the space of three deliveries. Although Harte combined with the Durham lower order, the target of 212 set for the visitors was always going to be vulnerable to one significant partnership.
After losing Phil Salt and Haines, Wells and Van Zyl combined with a stand of 83 to see off the threat of the new ball and make significant inroads into the required total. Matt Salisbury did give Durham brief hope when he dismissed Wells for 41. Van Zyl continued to thwart the home side, reaching his fifty from 88 deliveries, while Evans provided a good foil at the other end to whittle down the target.
Sussex picked their moments to find the boundary and displayed the composure out in the middle. Van Zyl was the foundation of their success, reaching his first Championship century of the term from 149 deliveries. Evans fell with only one needed to break their stand of 112, but Brown was on hand to knock off the single required to confirm the win.