Day 4
Day 3
Derbyshire’s batsmen kept the North Group leaders in contention for a place in the Bob Willis Trophy final on the third day of the match against Durham at Emirates Riverside.
A century for Luis Reece and 50’s from skipper Billy Godleman and Wayne Madsen helped Derbyshire pocket four batting points as they closed on 355 for 4 in reply to Durham’s 337 for 9 declared.
Godleman passed 9,000 first-class runs and some late acceleration from Leus du Plooy, 40, and Matt Critchley, 46 not out, completed a productive day for Derbyshire.
After 57 overs were lost to rain on Sunday and with Storm Francis threatening to wipe out day four, Derbyshire were desperate to get in three full sessions to pick up bonus points.
Excellent work by the groundstaff made sure play started on time after heavy overnight rain and after Durham immediately declared, Godleman and Reece laid the foundations for a substantial first innings score.
With overhead conditions bright and sunny, there was little on offer for the Durham bowlers on a pitch which has become increasingly easy to bat on and they toiled throughout the first session without reward.
Godleman certainly enjoyed himself, reaching his career milestone when he made 32.
Godleman survived a tough chance to second slip on 37 but after completing his 50 from 103 balls, he made only one more run after lunch before he drove Matty Potts one-handed to point.
But Durham had to wait for another 38 overs for another success as Reece and Madsen moved through the gears with Reece dispatching Harte over long on for the game’s first six to bring up the 150.
With the wicket offering nothing, Durham opted for containment after tea and even turned to wicketkeeper Stuart Poynter, playing as a batsman in this game, who bowled his first overs in first-class cricket.
If Durham hoped the element of surprise might conjure a wicket, the ploy was shelved after Poynter’s four overs yielded 21 runs and little else and it was Derbyshire’s pursuit of quick runs that broke the second wicket stand.
After Reece completed his seventh first-class hundred from 217 balls, Madsen attempted to dispatch Matthew Salisbury out of Chester-le-Street and lost his footing along with his middle stump.
The pair had added 124 and Reece also perished trying to clear the ropes when his one-handed drive at Chris Rushworth was well judged and taken by Potts at long on.
Another 69 from 76 balls were added before Harte produced a slow yorker to bowl du Plooy for 40.
Day 3 Reaction
Day 2
Paul Coughlin and Ned Eckersley shared a record-breaking stand for Durham on a frustrating rain affected day for North Group leaders Derbyshire in the Bob Willis Trophy match at Emirates Riverside.
The pair took their seventh-wicket stand to 157 in 49 overs, a Durham record against Derbyshire, before Matt Critchley bowled Coughlin for a career-best 90 from 146 balls.
The leg-spinner then bowled Matty Potts two balls later but Eckersley was unbeaten on 78 with Durham 337 for 9 when rain arrived shortly after lunch, wiping out 57 overs from the day’s allocation.
Derbyshire would have expected to restrict Durham to a lot less when the day began but their bowling lacked intensity and the second new ball failed to trouble Coughlin and Eckersley.
Coughlin had set the tone by taking advantage of wide balls from Ben Aitchison to drive two fours, the second one taking him to his first 50 of the season and the eighth of his career from 75 balls.
A lofted drive at Ed Barnes only just cleared a leaping Billy Godleman at mid off and Eckersley survived an lbw appeal on 40 when he played across the line at Sam Connors but there were few other alarms for the pair.
Eckersley’s 50, his first of the summer, was a more sedate affair and contained only one four but it had helped shift the momentum Durham’s way after Derbyshire reduced them to 155 for 6 shortly after tea on day one.
The previous highest seventh wicket stand against Derbyshire of 130, which also featured Coughlin with Paul Collingwood three years ago, was comfortably passed and a century was beckoning for the all-rounder when Critchley was introduced two overs before lunch.
His third ball tempted Coughlin into a cut but he played on and Matty Potts went two balls later when Critchley turned one past his forward defensive push.
Matthew Salisbury edged Barnes to first slip in the first over after lunch but Eckersley struck the seamer for two consecutive fours before the weather had the final say.
Day 2 Reaction
Day 1
Alex Lees again left his mark on Derbyshire as Durham fought back to frustrate the North Group leaders on the first day of the Bob Willis Trophy match at the Emirates Riverside.
Lees batted for more than four hours to top-score with 84, his fourth 50 against Derbyshire in two seasons, after Durham had slumped to 32 for 3.
Luis Reece, who finished with 2 for 44, removed him to leave Durham on 155 for 6 but Paul Coughlin and Ned Eckersley shared an unbroken stand of 64 to take their side to 219 for 6 when bad light forced an early close.
Lees has proved a constant thorn in Derbyshire’s side down the years. His career-best unbeaten 275 was made for Yorkshire at Chesterfield and last season he carried his bat for 107 at Chester-le-Street.
Although he failed to get to three figures on this occasion, he played with impressive discipline, using all his powers of concentration and patience to bat through the first session which belonged to the bowlers.
The breezy conditions encouraged swing and Billy Godleman’s decision to put Durham in was quickly justified as two wickets fell in the first six overs of a bright morning.
Lees had seen an edge drop just short of third slip but Derbyshire did not have to wait long for another success which came when David Bedingham trapped the ball onto his front pad and Ben Aitchison cut short his lbw appeal to plunge forward and take a smart return catch.
Harte helped Lees negotiate 13 overs up to lunch and although Lees almost chopped Ed Barnes into his stumps on 40, the pair grew in confidence to rebuild the innings.
Lees cut Connors for his seventh four to reach 50 before dispatching the next ball to the cover boundary but he was reprieved on 69 when a loose drive at Aitchison was spilled by Anuj Dal diving forward in the covers.
Godleman brought on Matt Critchley to try and break the stand and the leg-spinner delivered in his third over although Harte will be disappointed at the way he tamely chipped the ball to mid on.
But it had still been a good afternoon for Durham who went in at tea on 154 for 4 only for Derbyshire to regain the initiative immediately after the interval.
Again Durham gave them a helping hand as Stuart Poynter tried to sweep the fifth ball from Critchley off his stumps, missed, and was lbw for seven.
The wicket Derbyshire wanted came in the next over when Lees, who had looked uncertain just before tea, pushed forward at Reece who moved the ball just enough to get past the bat.
But any hopes Derbyshire had of wrapping up the innings quickly were frustrated as Coughlin and Eckersley stood firm for 24 overs until the weather closed in at just after 6pm.
Day 1 Reaction