Result: Northamptonshire (388 & 205/8; Wakely 84; Coughlin 5/84; 22 points) beat Durham (166 & 376; Steel 128; Azharullah 5/72; 3 points) by two wickets
Paul Coughlin completed his maiden ten wicket haul in first-class cricket but Durham fell to a second agonising last over defeat in succession as Northamptonshire ran out winners by two wickets at Emirates Riverside.
Coughlin recorded a second five wicket haul of the match, bowling unchanged across three spells in the second innings to finish with 5/84.
Northants’ skipper Alex Wakeley led the way with 83 as the visitors were allowed to defy the elements and seal a dramatic win with one ball left.
With the floodlights on for the last ten overs and steady rain falling in the final ten minutes, the visitors finished the task of scoring 100 in 17 overs by scampering a bye to the wicketkeeper.
Needing 161 with nine wickets standing, no play was possible until 3.05 and tea was taken after 35 minutes when 56 had been added in nine overs.
That meant a further 105 were required from 33 overs, but only one over was bowled after the break before the rain returned.
The 5pm resumption favoured the NatWest T20 Blast holders against Durham’s attack, who were again led by Coughlin, who finished with match figures of 10/134.
Rob Newton cut and pulled Gavin Main for two fours in the second over of the final chase to reach 50 but then miscued Coughlin to deep mid-on to end a stand of 123.
Wakeley, who had begun the day on 18 and raced to a 58-ball half-century before the break, continued to score at the required rate and had the target down to 47 when he was narrowly run out attempting a second run to deep point.
Rob Keogh skied a return catch to Coughlin and Rory Kleinveldt holed out at long-off. But Barry McCarthy was denied a second wicket when, with 26 needed off four, Josh Cobb was dropped at long-on by Michael Richardson.
The last ball of the over soared over the same fielder for six and Cobb, the match-winner against Durham in last year’s T20 final, had all but finished the job when he was caught at third man in the final over.
Close, Day Three: Northamptonshire (338 & 44/1) require 161 more to beat Durham (166 & 376; Steel 128; Azharullah 5/72)
A maiden century by Cameron Steel kept Durham afloat against Northamptonshire on the third day of their Specsavers County Championship match at Emirates Riverside.
Steel’s innings of 128 in important partnerships with Paul Collingwood & Ryan Pringle handed Northants a chase of 205 for victory.
Durham recovered from 98/4 to make 376 after early morning wickets fell & Northants had 12 overs to face when they lost first innings century-maker Max Holden to the third ball, edging Paul Coughlin to second slip.
Keaton Jennings held on comfortably, but Rob Newton and Alex Wakeley took Northants to 44/1 at the close.
Steel was on 94 when Northants turned to the occasional left-arm spin of Chesney Hughes and his first ball, a juicy full toss, was whacked over long-on for six.
The second 50 in Steel’s 166-ball hundred came off only 63 deliveries and a second six followed off another Hughes full toss before the 21-year-old batsman knuckled down against the second new ball.
It was in its 19th over when he was lbw for 128, attempting a whip to leg off Azharullah, who went on to take all the last five wickets.
Durham were still 74 adrift with six wickets standing when Steel was joined by Collingwood, but after being dropped by Hughes at slip on nought the skipper contributed 54 to a stand of 143.
He was unable to cash in on a stroke of fortune on 50 when a ball from Rory Kleinveldt nipped back and brushed the off stump. Collingwood started to walk before realising the bail, although slightly dislodged, had not come off.
After Steel’s exit Durham still looked like pushing on to a bigger lead as Pringle and Coughlin began to play shots against the flagging attack.
Holden took over behind the stumps when Adam Rossington suffered a hand injury and the substitute fielder, Richard Gleeson, ran in ten yards before diving forward to catch Coughlin at deep backward square.
Pringle, who hit eight fours, was left stranded on 47 when Stuart Poynter edged an airy drive to second slip and Gavin Main was pinned lbw by Azharullah, who finished with five for 72.
Close, Day Two: Durham (166 & 78/1; Cook 39*) trail Northamptonshire (338; Holden 124, Cobb 96; Coughlin 5/49) by 96 runs
Paul Coughlin’s maiden first-class five-wicket haul skittled the Northants tail as Durham finished 96 runs adrift at the end of Day Two.
Coughlin returned with the new ball to help decimate the visitors’ lower order, with the last five wickets falling for 11 runs & the last three for nought.
It proved a vital spell after Max Holden’s maiden century in a 162-run partnership with Josh Cobb, who made 96.
The pair threatened to bat Durham out of the game before Holden’s edged Paul Collingwood behind for one of four catches by Stuart Poynter.
Coughlin’s fine efforts to carried the attack while fellow seamer Barry McCarthy took three wickets, with the Irishman finishing the day at the crease as nightwatchman following Keaton Jennings’ dismissal.
Resuming on 19, Holden survived scares from the day’s first and seventh balls before knuckling down and spent 140 balls over his first 50.
With conditions far more benign than on the first day, Durham were made to pay as Holden put on 96 for the fifth wicket with Adam Rossington and 162 for the fifth with Josh Cobb.
Rossington hit nine fours in his 59-ball 50 before dabbing wide of off stump at McCarthy to edge to second slip and depart for 65.
He paved the way for Cobb and the number seven hit 11 fours and a six before edging to second slip during a probing new ball spell from Coughlin.
Holden had exasperated Paul Collingwood, who troubled the left-hander with away swingers, & it was one of those which finally found the edge to give Stuart Poynter his fourth catch, ending the youngster’s 228-ball vigil.
With much less assistance than on the first day, the visiting seamers could make little impression, although Stephen Cook was dropped by Rory Kleinveldt at third slip on 16 off Nathan Buck.
After digging in to reach 23 he took a fancy to Rob Keogh’s off spin, taking 11 off his first over, only to see Jennings stumped for 27 off Keogh’s ninth ball when he tried to paddle him to fine leg and lifted his back foot.
South African opener Cook saw it through to the close with McCarthy as Durham prepare to battle hard on the third day.
Close, Day One: Northamptonshire (59/3; McCarthy 2/20) trail Durham (166; Buck 6/34) by 107 runs
Barry McCarthy struck twice with the new ball as Durham set about defending a score of 166 against Northants on Day One of the Specsavers County Championship match at Emirates Riverside.
Thirteen wickets tumbled in two sessions as the pitch & overhead conditions played in favour of the pace bowlers.
Durham were dismissed but then had Northants rocking on 28/3 before Max Holden and Chesney Hughes steered them to 59/3 at the close.
Northants seamer Nathan Buck was the chief destroyer for the away side, taking career-best first-class figures of 6/34.
It was inevitable that Northants would bowl when play began at 1.10 following rain. Heavy cloud persisted for most of the day and when coupled with a green-looking surface, conditions were very much suited to the pace attacks.
Paul Coughlin and Irishman McCarthy opened the bowling for Durham with 22-year-old Scot Gavin Main in support, making his second Championship appearance three years after the first.
Northants’ four seamers maintained a probing accuracy on a day when no wickets fell in the first ten or the last six overs, with the 45 inbetween yielding 13, nine of them to edged catches.
The going was always tough, but the Durham openers put on 30 before Stephen Cook edged to second slip off Rory Kleinveldt.
Then Buck struck with his seventh ball, which lifted and left Keaton Jennings for a catch behind, before bagging two of the three LBWs and the only catch in front of the wicket completed his second successive five-for when extra bounce found the shoulder of McCarthy’s bat and the ball lobbed to mid-off.
With 24 overs to bat, Northants lost Rob Newton in the thrid over when Coughlin’s pace produced a flying edge to first slip.
Alex Wakely & Rob Keogh were both strangled down the leg side off McCarthy, although Keogh’s was more of an authentic glance, brilliantly pouched by the diving Stuart Poynter.
Ex-Derbyshire man Hughes, given his chance by the absence of Ben Duckett and the concussed Richard Levi, looked as confident as any batsman in his unbeaten 16.
Bad light ended play with eight overs still to bowl at 6.40.