Result: Durham 2nd XI (361 & 124/5; C Steel 59, Richardson 40; van Vollenhoven 3/19) & MCC Young Cricketers (160 & 322; Hudson-Prentice 60, Bhula 54) by five wickets
Durham’s Seconds took a huge step towards reaching the 2nd XI Championship final with a five-wicket win over MCC Young Cricketers at South North CC.
After being 114/5 overnight, the Young Cricketers eventually added 208 more for the final five wickets to set the Seconds 122 to win with time beginning to run out.
But they got there to post a fifth win in eight matches, moving further clearer of the second placed MCCYCs with one game to spare. Qualification is not certain, however, with a number of the chasing pack still having two games in hand.
Fynn Hudson-Prentice made 60 & each of numbers eight, nine & ten scored at least 40 to frustrate Durham but they stuck to the task, with George Harding taking 3/61 off 36.3 overs.
Liam Trevaskis went early in the run chase but Cameron Steel & Michael Richardson added 81 in 11 overs to tilt the chase back in Durham’s direction.
It was a fourth half century in four innings for Steel, who has found some exceptional form against the red ball over the last two weeks.
92/1 became 114/5 but the game was all-but up & Scott Steel finished it off in quick fashion to chalk up another win that keeps them top of the league.
Close, Day Two: MCCYCs (160 & 114/5; Bhula 54; Salisbury 2/29) trail Durham 2nd XI (361; C Steel 122, Coughlin 57, Trevaskis 52) by 87 runs
A resolute century from Cameron Steel followed by early seconds innings wickets has handed Durham’s Seconds complete control over MCCYCs at South North CC.
Steel’s ton added to 90 & 112 scored against Warwickshire’s Seconds last week, with the opener finding form against the red ball.
With support via half centuries from Liam Trevaskis & Josh Coughlin, he handed Durham a sizeable 201-run lead, to which the Young Cricketers ended 87 runs behind but with only five wickets in hand.
Trevaskis & Steel added exactly 100 for the third wicket but from 155/2 & looking towards a huge lead, the visitors managed to rein Durham in to 194/6.
But Coughlin continued to show his prowess with the bat & status as a genuine all-rounder as he & Steel then appeared to take the game back away from MCCYCs with a stand of 95.
Coughlin was caught behind & Steel trapped LBW playing across the line a short while later, but George Harding & Matt Salisbury frustrated them further by adding 49 for the ninth wicket.
With a big lead to boot, Durham’s bowlers made the perfect start. First innings half centurion Eliot Callis was trapped LBW by Jack Campbell & Kashif Ali caught at slip off Salisbury, both without scoring.
Salisbury then trapped Joe Barrett LBW, Liam Trevaskis removed Marc Lezar in similar fashion & half centurion Jakob Bhula was caught off George Harding as Durham ended the day on the cusp of victory.
Close, Day One: Durham 2nd XI (112/2; Steel 54*, Richardson 30) trail MCC Young Cricketers (160; Callis 57; Campbell 2/19, Trevaskis 2/20) by 46 runs
Michael Richardson made a return to batting as Durham’s Seconds dominated Day One of the Specsavers County Championship match against MCC Young Cricketers at South North CC.
Richardson made 30 in the first innings as Durham closed 46 runs behind the visitors, with Cameron Steel 54 not out, after bowling them out for 160.
The bowlers produced a collective effort with Matt Salisbury, Liam Trevaskis, George Harding & Jack Campbell taking two apiece.
Opener Eliot Callis made 57 but was always battling against the tide of early wickets at the other end.
Matt Salisbury, fresh from signing a new deal with the Club, took two of the first five to fall as the Young Cricketers stumbled to 59/5.
Callis was the sixth to fall & the seventh wicket was one of the most bizarre dismissals of the season.
Harding’s delivery was swept by Shafique into Chris McBride short leg, with the ball cannoning off his helmet & looping back to the bowler to complete the catch. McBride will miss the rest of the game due to the ECB’s concussion rules.
Bowled: @GHarding96
Caught: @GHarding96
Assist: @Mcbride99Chris?☝️ pic.twitter.com/H2ia46w611
— Durham Jets ? (@DurhamCricket) July 10, 2018
Durham lost Ross Greenwell early in the reply & Richardson later in the day, with the latter looking comfortable up until that point in stroking 7x4s.