Day 4 Durham 587 & 184/8d drew with Essex 339 & 208/2
Points: Essex 12, Durham 16
Dean Elgar reaped his 50th first-class century as he and Tom Westley dropped anchor to secure a draw against Durham in the Vitality County Championship.
Former South Africa international Elgar batted the whole of day four, almost exclusively with Westley, to make sure Durham didn’t have a sniff of victory.
He ended up with 120 after an epically stoic 165 runs, 421 balls and 276 minutes third wicket stand with Westley – who scored 63 not out.
Essex are now 12 points behind leaders Surrey ahead of their meeting next week, while Durham remain in the chasing pack having collected 16 points from a match they led throughout.
The hosts needed 405 runs to win on the final day, a tough but not impossible task, but made no attempt to secure a fifth victory of the season.
The rationale made sense with a draw meaning Essex would fall 12 points behind table-toppers Surrey – but victory at the Kia Oval next week would likely even things back up.
Durham’s initial aim had been to see off the night watcher Jamie Porter.
They managed to do that in the fifth over as the day when Matthew Potts beat his fellow fast bowler for pace and crashed into his off stump.
From then on, Elgar and Westley got their tents and airbeds out to camp out for the day – as Durham couldn’t extract anything from the pitch to aide a wicket.
Westley took 19 balls to get off the mark, and when he did, he also ended a 27-ball spell barren of runs.
The fifty stand came in 168 balls, Elgar reached a half-century in 96 deliveries and the century partnership in 247 balls.
As close as Durham came to a wicket was when Elgar tried to clip Borthwick into the leg side but the ball struck Michael Jones at short leg and ballooned up for Ollie Robinson to pouch. But the umpires, and subsequent replays, made it clear it had been a bump ball.
It was one of only three appeals against Elgar, with the other two hopeful lbw shouts at best, with technique and temperament coming to the fore.
His maiden first-class century had been scored in Bloemfontein for Free State against Limpopo in 2007 as a 19-year-old.
Now 37, Elgar has a half-century of them to help Eagles, South Africa A, Knights, Somerset, Titans, Surrey and Northerns, although his most prized will be the 14 Test tons he plundered before retiring from international cricket last winter.
This one came up in 170 balls with a pronounced tickle around the corner before he lifted his helmet, clapped the balcony, and earned a hug off Westley.
A mere 85 runs came in the afternoon session, and once Westley had reached an 86th first-class fifty in 198 balls – and 17:00 BST had been reached the hands were shaken on a draw.
To sum up Elgar and Westley’s solidity, exactly 400 dot balls had been delivered in Essex’s second innings.
Day 3 Durham 587 & 184/8d lead Essex 339 & 28/1 by 405 runs
Durham remain in a strong position against Essex needing a further 9 wickets on day 4 of their Vitality County Championship match at Chlemsford – having dominated the opening three days.
Earlier, Paul Walter had completed the second century of his career but Matthew Potts’ exceptional fast bowling gave Durham a 248-run first-innings lead.
Having not asked Essex to follow on, Jamie Porter extended his lead as Division One’s leading wicket-taker with three scalps to take him to 32 wickets this season, with Simon Harmer picking up four.
That set Essex 433 to win in a minimum of 107 overs, and in the 11 overs in the evening, Potts nicked off Nick Browne as the hosts reached 28 for one with 405 still to win.
Walter had been restricted to two Championship appearances this season after hyper-extending a toe on his left foot.
The left-hander had saved Essex with Matt Critchley the previous evening but had their 147-run stand ended early on day three when Critchley slapped to mid off having failed to settle in the morning.
But Walter continued with a lovely array of drives to reach a 146-ball century, the second of his first-class career and almost half as quick.
Potts has slowed his run-up down in recent times but has not lost his pace and was electric in the morning.
The six-time capped fast bowler had already accounted for Browne and Jordan Cox before beating Pepper and Walter for pace to end up with a season-best four for 71.
That left Essex 310 for seven, and the final three didn’t stick around with Shane Snater drove to cover, Simon Harmer edged a ball that kept low behind and Eathan Bosch skewed to short third.
Essex were bowled out for 339, 248 runs in arrears but Durham didn’t enforce the follow-on.
And it back-fired initially as they slumped to 11 for two and then 77 for four with Porter continuing his season haul.
Unlike Potts, Porter’s England dreams have seemingly faded but his appetite for wickets hasn’t lessened.
He found a subtle amount of nip away to find Alex Lees’ outside edge first ball of the innings, and then dipped in to feather Michael Jones’ bat in the seventh over. He could almost have had a couple more had he had a bit more luck with some chop-ons.
The pitch, which had been a batting paradise, has developed some variable bounce and turn as the innings have progressed – which Harmer and Critchley exploited.
Harmer got his wicket by teasing David Bedingham with a flighty delivery outside off stump, with the ball lobbing to Tom Westley at cover.
Critchley also got first innings centurion Ollie Robinson chasing a wider ball to edge behind, before Porter returned after tea to castle Colin Ackermann.
The steady trickle of wickets was juxtaposed by Scott Borthwick’s 88th first-class fifty; a picture of serene, simply picking off the wayward balls for 71.
But his vigil was ended by Harmer, with Pepper grabbing his eighth catch of the match, and then Ben Raine slog-swept into the deep two balls later.
Pepper stumped Bas de Leede to bring about the declaration, to join Kenneth Gibson, David East and James Foster as the only Essex keepers to affect nine wickets in a match.
Browne edged Potts – who ended the day with one for nine from his five overs – behind as Durham made an early in-road.
Day 2 Durham 587 lead Essex 249/4 by 338 runs
Paul Walter and Matt Critchley dug Essex out of trouble on day two of their Vitality County Championship run-fest with Durham.
Durham’s fast bowling attack had restricted the hosts to 120 for four in response to 587, but Walter struck 80 not out and Critchley unbeaten 51.
The duo put on 129 for the fifth wicket to close the day on 249 for four.
Earlier, Ollie Robinson had done his England Test hopes no harm with a flawless 198 as Durham secured maximum batting points in their title charge.
Durham, resuming on 445 for four, continued to drown Essex’s attack in runs – as they smashed 142 runs in 26 morning overs before they were bowled out – with maximum batting points pocketed.
Robinson completed his 150 with the third ball of the day – the last four of his nine career centuries have exceeded the milestone.
The former Kent man simply picked up where he had left off on day one, scoring runs at ease and refusing to allow the bowlers to build any pressure.
He past his previous best of 171 – collected against Lancashire in May – and looked set for 200 before trying to force a cut shot, but only edged behind. He was given a generous applause by the crowd on his return to the dressing room.
Otherwise, Critchley and Simon Harmer plugged away with semi-regular wickets amongst the flow of runs.
Harmer and bat-pad Nick Browne combined to dismiss Colin Ackermann and Bas de Leede, with the South African later bowling former team-mate Peter Siddle.
The off-spinner returned four for 188, the most runs he had conceded in a Championship innings.
To go with Robinson, Critchley also snaffled Ben Raine and Matt Potts. Essex’s spinners joining for figures of eight for 346 with Durham bowled out for 587 – the 15th highest score at Chelmsford.
After an energy sapping 122 overs in the field, the hosts were lethargic with the bat.
Browne had already survived being dropped at second slip on 12 when he tickled Potts behind in the sixth over.
Dean Elgar oozed elegance with seven fours in 40, in a 51-run stand with Tom Westley, but edge Siddle to first slip before Westley was leg before to Raine.
Jordan Cox got a start but also fell before making a telling contribution – bowled by a jag backer from the energetic Potts. It left Essex 120 for four and starting to worry about the follow-on target.
But Critchley mimicked Alex Lees’ controlling style, while Walter was closer to Robinson’s aggression, to resuscitate the innings with a century partnership.
Walter was imperious in his decision-making, whether it was slog sweeping for six, clipping off his legs, touching to third or flashing outside off stump.
The maximum took him to 2,000 first class runs before his half-century came up in 63 balls.
Walter and Critchley – whose fifty came in 111 deliveries – were unbreakable in the evening session, as Essex finally found a foothold in the match, but remain 188 runs shy of the follow-on.
Day 1 Durham 445/4
Alex Lees and Ollie Robinson’s contrasting centuries saw Durham pour a deluge of runs down on Vitality County Championship title rivals Essex.
Opener Lees commanded the crease in his 113, while Robinson took the bowlers on with gusto for an unbeaten 146 – both grabbing their second hundreds of the campaign.
David Bedingham missed out on a fifth three-figure score on the bounce but assisted the milestone-makers with a sublime 65, as he passed 800 Championship runs this year.
Essex’s only positive on an otherwise dispiriting day, was overseas debutant Eathan Bosch claiming two wickets as Durham racked up 445 for four.
Durham elected to bat first on a pitch previously used for two T20 matches, and set about their work in lively fashion, after Essex legend Keith Fletcher had rung the five-minute bell.
Michael Jones returned from Scotland duty to make his first Championship appearance of the season and blazed his way to 38 from 29 balls at the top of the order.
His aggression came to the fore with Simon Harmer’s 10th over introduction, with two sixes and two fours within the South African’s first seven deliveries, as 16 came off the spinner’s opening over.
If Harmer’s early introduction was muted, Essex new boy Bosch’s was electric.
The South African fast bowler has arrived on a four-match deal, with Sam Cook absent with a hamstring injury, and struck with his second ball when Jones loosely drove behind.
Bosch’s curtain-raising wicket maiden was followed four overs later by the scalp of Scott Borthwick – who also edged behind to give Michael Pepper his second catch. His first five-over spell returned two for 25.
But from then on, the blue skies, humid weather, fast outfield and a flat pitch made the Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford a batting paradise.
With those conditions, David Bedingham doesn’t need a second invitation to cash in.
The South African was in the form of his life before the Vitality Blast interrupted the red ball season, with four successive centuries.
Only Michael Hussey and Kumar Sangakkara had scored five Championship tons in a row, and when he strode to a 53-ball half-century, three figures looked inevitable.
Bedingham is the leading run scorer in the country but at 860 runs in the season, and 65 on the day, he was Pepper’s third victim, this time via Harmer’s off-spin, to end a 95-run stand with Lees.
Quietly around Jones and Bedingham’s gung-ho style, Lees was amassing his runs.
There was an odd stylish chip for six, and a few nervy edges over and wide of the slips early on, but otherwise he was serene and demonstrated significant control.
His first century since the opening round came in 184 balls, with Robinson’s fifty coming a ball later in a double celebration.
Robinson decided the Jones/Bedingham approach was more appropriate, as has been the case all season with a season strike-rate heading towards 90, and out-scored Lees 81 to 47 in their 136-run alliance.
Lees was lbw to Matt Critchley, but Colin Ackermann arrived to soak up the pressure for Robinson to reach his second hundred of the season, coming in 116 balls.
The second new ball didn’t help Essex in the latter stages of the day.
Robinson swatted the first delivery of the new cherry for one of his four sixes, as he and Ackermann – who reached 58 at a canter – sauntered to close with a 131-run partnership, 445 runs, and four batting bonus points, on the board after day one.