10:25am Friday 12th April 2013
By Tim Wellock
Day Two
Durham v Somerset
LV County Championship
BATSMEN would probably have preferred an hour in a dentist’s chair to trying to survive at the Emirates Durham ICG yesterday.
With 18 wickets tumbling on a day cut short by bad light, it seemed to confirm that early April is too soon for cricket in these parts, but if conditions continue to smile on the seamers Durham should wrap up a victory today.
Chris Rushworth took a career- best six for 58 to dismiss Somerset for 132, giving Durham an invaluable lead of 118, which they stretched to 210 by reaching 92 for eight.
Under grey skies the ball swung and there was just enough seam movement for the bowlers to find the edge.
There were two catches each for Durham’s three slips, while four of their own batsmen edged to Somerset wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter and Scott Borthwick was taken at third slip.
When Graham Onions took the day’s first three wickets Durham were off the foot of the table after starting their campaign on minus 2.5 points for exceeding the ECB salary cap.
The first bowling point, added to the two for scoring 250, took them into positive territory and a 21-point haul was looking certain once Rushworth had polished off Somerset in a superb second spell.
The joy was swiftly tarnished, however, as Durham slumped to 20 for four and it again needed some staunch resistance from Ben Stokes to prevent disaster.
He faced 60 balls for his 22, taking enough of the sting out of the attack for Phil Mustard to capitalise with some bold strokes in reaching 23 not out.
Rushworth was a revelation last year, beginning the season well down Durham’s pecking order of seamers and ending it third in the national averages.
After coming into the side for the eighth game each of his five-wicket hauls bettered his previous first-class best, topped by five for 37 in the final match against Sussex.
He was out of luck in his opening five-over spell yesterday, when it was difficult to imagine why an lbw appeal against Kieswetter was turned down.
He had figures of none for 23 when he returned and ended a stand of 42 between Kieswetter and Jos Buttler.
In his next over he took two wickets in two balls then quickly wrapped things up after lunch.
Onions finished with four for 41 after starting by removing Marcus Trescothick for six in the fifth over. The left-hander got a nick on to his pad and the ball flew low to Stokes at third slip.
Two overs later Arul Suppiah edged another low one to Paul Collingwood at first slip to make it 13 for two before James Hildreth, with the help of an edge over the slips, hit three fours in an over off Rushworth.
He made 18 before he stayed on his crease to defend an Onions in-swinger and edged it to Borthwick.
Stokes and Callum Thorp were unable to build on the excellent start, but Rushworth returned with a vengeance, persuading Kieswetter to edge a drive to Collingwood, who held the sharp chance at waist height to his right.
Then Alex Barrow departed for two when his defensive technique was found wanting by a ball which nipped back slightly to take out the off stump.
Buttler hit two sixes in making the top score of 35 off 54 balls, but immediately after lifting Rushworth over the rope at mid-wicket he tried to work a fuller delivery to leg and was bowled.
Peter Trego matched Onions’ effort by taking the first three wickets when Durham began their second innings.
They lost Mark Stoneman in the third over, when he played back and edged to the wicketkeeper, then Will Smith offered no stroke to a ball which swung in and bowled him for a duck.
Trego also nipped one through Keaton Jennings’ forward defence to hit off stump.
Dale Benkenstein was off the mark first ball, clipping a four to mid-wicket, but he added only four more before edging Steve Kirby to Kieswetter, who took a fine catch diving to his right.
At that point 14 wickets had gone down in 50 overs, but Stokes and Collingwood survived the next 12 before the captain fell lbw to the last ball before tea.
The ball seemed to keep low and provided the first of three wickets for Alfonso Thomas, who swung one away from Stokes to have him caught behind after tea.
The light had been poor for much of the innings and after opting to stay on following their first consultation, the umpires called it a day with 15 overs still to be bowled.
Durham will be praying they have the chance to bowl in equally grim conditions today.
SCORECARD
Durham v Somerset
At Emirates Durham ICG.
Overnight: Durham 250.
Somerset First Innings
M E Trescothick c Stokes b Onions ........... 6
A V Suppiah c Collingwood b Onions ....... 5
C Kieswetter c Collingwood b Rushworth 21
J C Hildreth c Borthwick b Onions ............18
J C Buttler b Rushworth ...........................35
A W Barrow b Rushworth ......................... 2
P D Trego c Borthwick b Rushworth ......... 0
A C Thomas lbw b Rushworth .................. 9
J Overton not out ....................................21
G H Dockrell b Onions .............................. 0
S P Kirby c Stokes b Rushworth ............... 0
Extras (lb5 nb10 pens 0)..................15
Total (37.5 overs)..............................132
Fall: 1-12 2-13 3-39 4-81 5-87 6-87 7-103
8-122 9-129
Bowling: Onions 14-3-41-4. Rushworth 13.5-1-
58-6. Stokes 5-1-23-0. Thorp 5-1-5-0.
Durham Second Innings Close
K K Jennings b Trego ............................... 5
M D Stoneman c Kieswetter b Trego ......... 2
W R Smith b Trego .................................... 0
D M Benkenstein c Kieswetter b Kirby ...... 8
B A Stokes c Kieswetter b Thomas ...........22
P D Collingwood lbw b Thomas ...............11
P Mustard not out ...................................23
S G Borthwick c Trego b Thomas .............. 3
C D Thorp c Kieswetter b Overton ............ 6
G Onions not out ..................................... 5
Extras (b1 lb5 w1 pens 0)................ 7
Total 8 wkts (40.3 overs)..................92
Fall: 1-3 2-5 3-16 4-20 5-48 6-54 7-68 8-77
To Bat: C Rushworth.
Bowling: Trego 11.3-5-23-3. Kirby 9-2-17-1.
Thomas 11-3-19-3. Overton 9-1-27-1.
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