Championship-best figures of 5/95 from Marchant de Lange saw Durham dismissed for 402 on a rain-affected third day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Glamorgan at the Emirates Riverside with the home side losing five wickets for six runs in the space of 37 balls. In reply Glamorgan were 92/2 at the close, trailing by 15 runs
Evening update
Durham had a lead of 107 runs as Glamorgan began their second innings after tea with 42 overs remaining in the day, and this was immediately reduced into double figures as Jacques Rudolph unfurled a classic cover drive for four in the opening over against Chris Rushworth before clipping Paul Coughlin to square-leg for another boundary.
Selman began with a glance to fine-leg for four before firmly on-driving Rushworth for another four, but he was fortunate to survive a sharp chance sat mid-wicket when Barry McCarthy entered the attack, but the diving Jack Burnham could not quite hold onto the ball. Rudolph also bisected second slip and gully as a thick outside edge against Matthew Potts sped to third man.
But the young seamer made inroads in his next over as he trapped Selman l.b.w. with the total on 49. Rudolph, who was joined by Andrew Salter then brought up the fifty before his new partner greeted the return of Coughlin to the attack by pulling him to the ropes at mid-wicket as well as drilling through the covers for three. Salter then punched Coughlin off the back foot through point.
Ryan Pringle’s spin was also introduced shortly before the close and Rudolph greeted him with another flowing cover drive before Salter slashed Potts through point for another boundary. But in the penultimate over, Potts had Rudolph caught down the legside by Poynter for 43 as night-watchman Lukas Carey joined Salter.
Afternoon update
Play began at 1.15pm with Durham just fourteen runs in arrears and, with six wickets in hand, and 79 overs remaining in the day’s quota. With the new ball just seven overs away, the visiting seamers were hoping that taking the new ball would have the same effect as in their first innings when a flurry of wickets fell to the home bowlers.
It duly did the trick but not before a pull for four by Pringle against de Lange took Durham into the lead as the new ball was taken. Michael Hogan returned to the attack and was savagely cut through point by Collingwood before being clipped twice to mid-wicket by Ryan Pringle who also on-drove the red ball captain.
But Hogan had the last laugh as he then trapped Pringle l.b.w. as the ball jagged back in to his pads as Hogan’s claimed his 250th first-class wicket for the Club. He duly became the first bowler since David Harrison in 2010 to reach the landmark for Glamorgan and the 28th overall as he fittingly received the congratulations of his colleagues.
Two runs later Wagg returned and had Paul Coughlin caught behind by Tom Cullen and 330/6 then became 330/7 as Collingwood’s valiant innings ended as he spliced a short ball from de Lange into the gully where a diving Aneurin Donald grasped the ball inches above the turf. Stweart Poynter square-cut Wagg for four but next over he became the eighth man to depart as Wagg trapped him l.b.w.
Without further addition, De Lange had Matthew Potts caught at short-leg by David Lloyd as he fended off a short ball. Some resistance then followed from Barry McCarthy and Chris Rushworth with the former striking a pair of fours before the latter launched Carey over mid-off for four to bring up the 350. Rushworth also chipped Carey just over the head of Hogan at mid-on before scampering a series of singles with his partner.
In a bid to break the stubborn stand Colin Ingram’s leg-spin was deployed but the sequence of singles continued as the pair completed a 50-run stand – Durham’s first for the tenth wicket against the Welsh county – before a nurdle to third man by McCarthy against Hogan took Durham’s lead into three figures. A drive for two through point brought Durham their fifth batting point as the total went past the 400-mark, but two runs later Rushworth miscued a drive against Hogan with de Lange at mid-on completing the catch.
Morning Report
Yesterday was a red letter day for Graham Clark as he posted an assertive maiden Championship hundred whilst Paul Collingwood ended the day just 29 runs short of another century of the season against the Welsh attack and a belated reward for his generosity in declaring eight runs short of what would have been his second hundred of the game at St.Helen’s in order to set up a run-chase on the final afternoon.
The current scenario at Chester-le-Street is very different however with Durham ending the second day just fourteen runs in arrears and, with six wickets in hand, and Collingwood looking this morning to press on and amass a decent first innings lead. But after a series of sunny days and scorching heat, the weather has intervened, with early morning downpours and thunderstorms causing the start of proceedings to be delayed.
After an initial inspection by the umpires at 11.00am, they planned to hold a further inspection at 11.45am with the hope that some play could take place afterwards. But just as the players were warming up another band of heavy showers rolled across the ground, sending the players back to the pavilion and the return of the protective covers. With drizzle still falling at mid-day, the umpires decided to take at early lunch at 12.30pm with play resuming at 1.15pm with 79 overs remaining.