Durham beat Glamorgan by nine wickets on the final day of their Specsavers County Championship match at the Emirates Riverside after the visitors were dismissed for 263, with Colin Ingram top-scoring with an unbeaten 70. This left Durham needing 157 from 43 overs which they achieved in just 24.3 overs as they raced to their first Championship win of the summer.
Close of Play Report
When play resumed after tea, Durham’s target was 157 from a minimum of 43 overs to record their first Championship victory of the summer, and their first-ever in the Championship at their headquarters over the Welsh county. Marchant De Lange nearly struck in the opening over as Cameron Steel edged to second slip where Nick Selman could not quite pouch the ball, whilst Stephen Cook began by glancing Lukas Carey to fine-leg for four.
Steel then edged Carey just short of the slip cordon before Cook clipped the teenager to the ropes at mid-wicket. Steel got a thick outside edge to another ball from Carey which dropped short of the slips and sped to third man for another boundary. Cook then drove Hogan for three and four through mid-wicket as the 50 came up in the tenth over, before Steel smeared two fours through backward point as the opening pair continued in assertive fashion.
Steel then drilled de Lange through extra-cover for four before late cutting Hogan for four. Cook also bludgeoned a couple of balls for two over mid-wicket before steering Wagg’s first delivery through point for four, and then next over cover-driving Andrew Salter for four to complete a 49-ball fifty. Another silky drive through the covers brought up the hundred before Steel off-drove Salter with panache en route to a 55-ball fifty.
Cook then late cut both Wagg and Salter, but with just 28 runs needed Steel chipped Salter to mid-off where Carey held the ball above his head. Jack Burnham announced his arrival with a pair of firmly struck drives for four through the off-side against the spinner. Cook then cover drove successive balls from Salter for four to clinch a victory which sees Durham convert their negative tally of points from before the match into a positive one.
Teatime Report
Glamorgan resumed on 183/7 just 76 runs ahead with Tom Cullen facing Barry McCarthy, and Colin Ingram facing Ryan Pringle, knowing that the new ball was just ten overs away. The obdurate Ingram continued to quietly accumulate in an unruffled way with Cullen nurdling McCarthy for four to third man. Ingram also square-cut Pringle for four before Durham took the new ball with Glamorgan on 203/7 with Chris Rushworth and Matthew Potts returning to action, with Durham handicapped by the absence of Paul Coughlin with a knee injury.
Cullen off-drove McCarthy for three as the lead went into three figures before guiding Rushworth to third man for another three. But with the total on 212, Cullen shouldered arms to a delivery from Rushworth and was bowled. Marchant de Lange began by cover-driving Rushworth for four followed by a cut through point for four against Potts, whilst Ingram reached his patient fifty with a sumptuous straight drive for four – his sixth boundary from his 116th delivery.
Ingram celebrated by drilling Potts through extras cover before de Lange biffed the teenager high over the head of mid-off for four. The fast bowler then guided Rushworth through point for four before being caught and bowled as he drove a ball back to the bowler. With Michael Hogan as his final partner, Ingram responded by pulling McCarthy for a huge six before Hogan square-drove Rushworth for four. But shortly afterwards, McCarthy uprooted Hogan’s middle stump as Glamorgan were dismissed for 263.
Lunchtime update
A minimum of 96 overs remain in what has developed into an enthralling dogfight and one which has definitely been for the purists rather than those weaned on the thrills and spills of white-ball cricket. Events yesterday also showed that the slow-paced wicket was becoming increasingly capricious with Paul Collingwood and Matthew Potts each caught off steeply rising balls, whilst other deliveries scuttled through, especially when the ball got softer, with the tail-end recoveries in both innings showing that batting appeared to be easier against the older ball.
The net result was that Glamorgan began the final morning, under leaden skies, high humidity and the floodlights on, still 15 runs in arrears and with eight wickets remaining. Andrew Salter, who completed his 1,000th first-class run last night, in addition to being dropped twice in the closing overs, resumed with night-watchman Lukas Carey whilst Paul Coughlin and Potts continued the bowling duties.
Carey was the first to find the ropes as he unfurled a booming off-drive against Coughlin before driving the seamer over the head of gully for a second four. But in the seventh over of the morning, the impressive Potts claimed his third wicket as Salter miscued a pull against a rising delivery with Barry McCarthy completing the steepling catch at mid-wicket.
109/3 saw Colin Ingram join Carey who continued his quixotic innings by unleashing another flowing cover drive to wipe off the arrears before edging McCarthy just out of the grasp of Ryan Pringle at second slip. He then drove the Irishman for three before Ingram cover drove Potts for four. Ingram also got a thick outside-edge to a ball from McCarthy which flew through the slip cordon before Carey middled another cover drive, followed next ball by a fierce straight drive back over the bowler’s head.
Ingram also straight drove Rushworth for four as well as nurdling him for four through the slips before Carey continued his assault on McCarthy’s bowling by sending a rasping drive through mid-off for four before lofting him over mid-wicket for six. But his breezy cameo ended in Rushworth’s next over as he was bowled for 49. 165/4 duly saw Aneurin Donald join Ingram with Glamorgan 58 runs to the good, but Donald’s stay was a very brief one as next over he departed l.b.w. to a delivery from McCarthy which kept low.
168/5 then became 170/6 as McCarthy struck again in his next over as David Lloyd edged to second slip. Graham Wagg and Colin Ingram then joined forces but in the penultimate over before lunch, Cameron Steel at cover dropped a chance from Ingram as he drove McCarthy. before the Irishman clean bowled Wagg.
“We didn't play up to the standard we need to achieve to be competitive, said Glamorgan coach Robert Croft. "The ball was moving around on the first day and we didn't score as many as had hoped.
“We wanted to put down a platform to push on and score 400, which would have given us a strong foothold in the game.”