Day Four
Result: Northamptonshire (254/6; Vasconcelos 105*; Rushworth 3/45, Carse 3/62) drew with Durham (253; Raine 82, Carse 77*; Sanderson 4/55)
The Specsavers County Championship match between Durham and Northamptonshire finished in a draw after Day Four was washed out.
With multiple puddles formed on the outfield after 24 hours of rain and no prospect of an improvement in the weather, the umpires called proceedings off shortly after 9:20am.
Durham are back in action starting on Monday 24 June against Sussex at Hove.
Day Three
Close, Day Three: Northamptonshire (254/6; Vasconcelos 105*; Rushworth 3/45, Carse 3/62) lead Durham (253; Raine 82, Carse 77*; Sanderson 4/55) by 1 run
The umpires made an early decision to abandon play on Day Three of the Specsavers County Championship Division Two clash between Durham and Northamptonshire at Emirates Riverside.
Heavy rain overnight persisted into the morning, leaving the covers and the outfield drenched. With no sign of the weather clearing for the rest of the day, the decision was made at 12:20pm to cancel play for the rest of Wednesday.
Northants hold a lead of one run over Durham after two days of action, with four wickets remaining in their first innings. Ricardo Vasconcelos and Brett Hutton will continue unbeaten on 105 and 34 respectively when play resumes.
Day Two
Close, Day Two: Northamptonshire (254/6; Vasconcelos 105*; Rushworth 3/45, Carse 3/62) lead Durham (253; Raine 82, Carse 77*; Sanderson 4/55) by 1 run
Brydon Carse & Ben Raine scored career-bests in Durham’s highest eighth-wicket stand in first-class history before Northamptonshire ended with a slender advantage after Day Two of the Specsavers County Championship Division Two clash at Emirates Riverside.
Durham had mustered a score of 253 from their first innings through the efforts of a record-breaking stand between Raine and Carse as the home side to put on 172 for the final three wickets.
Ricardo Vasconcelos led the Northants response, scoring a brilliant century from 194 deliveries to guide his team past Durham’s total before the end of the day.
Carse and Chris Rushworth took three wickets apiece, the latter reaching his 450th first-class wicket in the process.
Durham resumed on their overnight total of 209/7 and Carse continued his fine innings, reaching his second first-class fifty from 143. He and Raine surpassed the eighth-wicket partnership record for Durham set by Phil Mustard and Liam Plunkett in 2009 at Headingley, reaching 154 for their stand.
Raine added seven runs to his score before he was pinned lbw by Hutton, ending his innings of 82. Carse kept the scoreboard moving and he followed in the footsteps of Raine from the previous day, posting his highest total in a first-class contest.
However, he ran out of partners as Sanderson and Hutton dismissed Matty Potts and Rushworth respectively, but only after the home side had secured their second batting point.
Northants made a solid start to their innings, aided by dropped catches in the slip cordon, before Carse returned after lunch to remove Curran’s middle stump. Alex Wakely then edged a Carse delivery to Cameron Bancroft at second slip, falling for a duck.
Vasconcelos made the most of his second life building his innings at a good rate, notching his third half-century of the season from 91 deliveries, including five boundaries. Bavuma aided the counterattack as the two players put on fifty for the third wicket. They were untroubled and approaching their century stand before Bavuma fended a Carse delivery behind to Ned Eckersley.
The Durham bowlers sensed an opening and Rushworth surged through the middle order. He reached a significant milestone, taking his 450th first-class wicket when he pinned Rob Keogh lbw for a duck. In his next over, Rushworth dismissed Adam Rossington and Luke Procter in successive deliveries, both batsmen edging behind to Eckersely.
The home side’s momentum was stymied by a crucial partnership between Vasconcelos and Hutton. Both players held firm after the tea break to guide the visitors over the 200-run mark, putting on a partnership worth fifty for the seventh wicket from 102 deliveries.
Day One
Close, Day One: Durham (209/7; Raine 75*, Carse 47*; Sanderson 3/39) vs Northamptonshire
Ben Raine and Brydon Carse produced an unbroken century stand for the eighth wicket to thwart Northamptonshire on Day One of their Specsavers County Championship Division Two clash at Emirates Riverside.
Ben Sanderson had put the home side on the back foot with a brilliant spell of 3-18 with the new ball, clean bowling the top three in the order, & was well backed up Matt Coles and Nathan Buck.
However, Raine and Carse led the Durham fightback in the lower order, defying the visitors with their patient approach to reach their century partnership, with the former leading the way by notching his career-best of 75.
Durham earned their first batting bonus point by passing the 200-run mark, ending the day in a solid position.
The hosts were inserted after an uncontested toss and Sanderson got to work immediately, removing Michael Jones from the third ball of the day as the opener left a straight delivery. Skipper Cameron Bancroft suffered the same fate as he misjudged the bounce of a Sanderson delivery, leaving a ball which clipped his off stump.
The Northants seamer continued his onslaught, nipping one back between Alex Lees’ bat and pad to dismiss him for only eight after his heroics of last week. Gareth Harte continued the procession, edging to Ricardo Vasconcelos at third slip, allowing Coles to enter the wicket column.
Resistance came from Jack Burnham and Liam Trevaskis, who were forced to grind for a partnership of 28. However, Buck produced a fine inswinging delivery to trap Burnham lbw for 12 to leave Durham five down before their fifty. Trevaskis and Ned Eckersley stemmed the tide in a spell before and after lunch, but both players fell in the span of two deliveries.
Coles changed the angle of his approach to move around the wicket to Eckersley, and the tactic worked as the batsman edged behind to Adam Rossington for 26. The following delivery from Buck’s over resulted in Trevaskis drilling the ball straight to Ben Curran at square leg, leaving Durham in trouble at 81-7.
Raine and Carse provided the vital rearguard in the lower order to dig their side out of trouble. They were patient in their approach, building their partnership slowly. The fifty stand came from 142 deliveries, frustrating the visitors’ attempt to take control of the contest.
Raine took the initiative in the partnership and he reached his first half-century for Durham from 120 deliveries, scoring five boundaries. The two players were able to continue to defy Northants even against the second new ball, reaching their 100-run partnership from 268 balls as Carse knocked three runs into the off-side.
There was time before the close for Durham to record their first batting bonus point, while Raine to reached his career-best knock, passing his old highest score of 72 with a cut to the fence as the home side ended the day on a high note.