Live Blog: Durham vs Lancashire Day One County Championship
9:50 Arrived at a sunny Banks Homes Riverside for Durham vs Lancashire in the @CountyChamp
Team news on the way…
10:37 Durham win the toss and elect to bowl first on Day One #ForTheNorth
11:01 George Balderson gets the first boundary of the day for Lancashire, with a lovely shot down the leg side. #ForTheNorth
11:02 First over completed with Lancashire 4/0. #ForTheNorth
11:07 11 runs off Matt Potts’ first over with the ball, Lancashire are now 15/0. #ForTheNorth
11:13 Ben Raine’s second over sees Lancashire add twelve, great start for the opening pair of Balderson and Jennings up to 27/0. #ForTheNorth
11:17 It’s a better over from Potts, Lancashire, only add two 29/0. #ForTheNorth
11:20 Lancashire add six off Raine’s third over 35/0. #ForTheNorth
11:26 WICKET! Balderson is caught at second slip and Potts strikes; the opener goes for 14, an important wicket for the hosts to break up the partnership.
Josh Bohannon makes his way to the crease.
35/1 #ForTheNorth
11:38 It’s another for Durham, Sam Conners gets Bohannon with his first ball of the season.
Bohannon trudges off for five after placing it into Potts’ hands.
Marcus Harris makes his way out for Lancashire, big period of the match early on now.
48/2 #ForTheNorth
11:45 10 overs gone and Durham have flipped the momentum into their hands, after two quick wickets from Potts and Conners.
Keaton Jennings holds all the cards for Lancashire in this innings if they are to come out on top.
53/2 #ForTheNorth
12:06 Another five overs down, and Sam Conners is looking really good for Durham in his first game back and is unlucky to only have one wicket. 66/2 #ForTheNorth
12:26 20 overs gone and Lancashire weathering the Durham storm nicely, with Jennings and Harris creating a solid partnership to swing the pendulum back to the Red Roses.
Lancashire will be hoping that the pair can make it to lunch.
86/2 #ForTheNorth
12:50 Durham strike at a pivotal time, and they have their man in Jennings, who draggs Kasey Aldridge’s delivery onto his stumps.
The former Durham man looked assured throughout his innings and was just a few runs away from an impressive half-century, but the home side get their third wicket just before lunch.
106/3 #ForTheNorth
13:07 Lunch here on Day One, Lancashire 118-3.
Both sides have had their share of momentum, but the wicket of Jennings favours Durham after lunch. All to play for after the break. #ForTheNorth
13:41 Teams back out after Lunch.
Ben Raine is back with the ball to get us underway #ForTheNorth
14:09 WICKET! Lancashire are four down, and Conners has his second and Durham’s fourth. Michael Jones walks for 10.
Conners has deserved that, his line and length have been brilliant, and Jones nicks one to Bedingham and in comes Matty Hurst.
144/4 #ForTheNorth
14:25 Marcus Harris notches his half-century for Lancashire in 104 balls, with a strike rate of 48.08. Harris came in at number four and settled things down for the Red Roses, and their innings will rely on how he goes for the remainder.
148/4 #ForTheNorth
14:46 45 overs have now passed, Lancashire’s run rate slowing with Callum Parkinson brought into Durham’s bowling attack, and the left-arm spinner earns two maidens in three overs.
155/4 #ForTheNorth
15:03 50th over in the bag and Lancashire pulling the tide in their direction, with Matty Hurst hitting the first maximum of the game.
Lancashire is in a good place at the moment; Durham needs to strike sooner rather than later.
183/4 #ForTheNorth
15:20 Another five overs go by, and Durham desperately need their fifth wicket.
Sam Conners has come back into the fold and earns a maiden in his second over, but the Lancashire pair of Harris and Hurst remain strong as they approach 200.
196/4 #ForTheNorth
15:33 LBW and Durham finally get their breakthrough, thanks to Ben Raine with his first wicket of the game.
Hurst goes for 32, a big wicket for the home side, breaking up the partnership of him and Harris of 61. Arav Shetty makes his way to the middle.
205/5 #ForTheNorth
15:45 60 overs down, and wicket keeper Ollie Robinson had his second drop of the game, and what could’ve been for Durham, if he had held on, as we approach Tea.
15:57 Raine strikes again, just before Tea and Shetty goes for 18 with Robinson making an important catch diving to his right, and Durham gains a better grip on proceedings in this session.
Lancashire are 233/6 at Tea with Harris on 78 and Paul Coughlin ready to come in at eight. #ForTheNorth
16:15 Teams back out after Tea, with Harris and Coughlin in the middle and Ben Raine has the ball in hand for Durham. #ForTheNorth
16:39 Into the 70th over, and Durham’s momentum from just before Tea has slowly evaporated. With Lancs forming a solid partnership with Coughlin on 15 from 23 and Harris on 88, and closing down on a ton.
260/6 #ForTheNorth
16:52 75 overs have now passed, and Marcus Harris is edging closer to that century.
Durham need another wicket to gain some power back in this game, but the Lancashire pair are very happy at the crease at the moment.
270/6 #ForTheNorth
17:03 A brilliant knock from Marcus Harris sees him get his ton.
Off 206 balls and a strike rate of 48.54, the Aussie has been crucial for Lancashire’s success in this game, and it looks like he will be at the crease until the close of play this evening. 284/6
17:10 Ben Coughlin BOWLED, Ben Raine gets his third and Durham’s seventh.
A much-needed wicket for the hosts and Coughlin, who arrived after Tea, notched 31 off 54.
Durham will be hoping they can bowl Lancashire out before the close of play this evening.
In comes Tom Bailey.
292/7 #ForTheNorth
17:27 Lancashire now past the 300 mark, with 12 overs remaining
303/7 #ForTheNorth
17:52 90 overs down and six remaining for the day, and Harris is ever present at the crease for Lancs with 126 and Bailey on 13 from 33.
331/7 #ForTheNorth
18:08 50+ partnership yet again for Lancs, with two overs remaining, a brilliant day for them at the crease.
338/7 #ForTheNorth
18:15 The umpire signals the end of play after the 96th over, and that is it for today, a great day for Lancashire and especially Marcus Harris, who notched 135 runs from 255, leaving his side on 356 with three wickets remaining.
For Durham, they had good spells with the ball, but allowed Lancashire to gain control for large spells of the day and were made to pay for it.
Big day for the hosts tomorrow, they will need to strike quickly to remove Lancs and have a good spell with bat and ball. #ForTheNorth
