Repeat show for Durham

IT’S almost an action replay of Headingley for Durham. Win the toss, put the opposition in, concede more than 400 runs and see any remote chance of a decent first innings lead washed away by the weather.

The elements have conspired against skipper Paul Collingwood in the home match against Warwickshire, who amassed 472 largely under clear skies after the first session of the match was washed out.

Then when it was finally Durham’s turn to bat the clouds rolled in and their innings was twice interrupted by rain and bad light as they slipped to 62 for three.

Inbetween the stoppages Mark Stoneman inside edged a drive to be well caught by wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose, then after an hour’s break Keaton Jennings and Scott Borthwick had to go back out for 12 overs.

They found themselves up against impressive left-arm swing bowling from Keith Barker, who always performs well against Durham.

He defeated Jennings’ forward push to knock out the off stump then Michael Richardson edged a drive to second slip.

Borthwick played some handsome drives through extra cover off Chris Wright to remain unbeaten on 23 and Gordon Muchall made a confident start in reaching 13.

The day got off to a good start when John Hastings took the fourth of his five wickets with the tenth ball.

But it was all downhill from there as Sam Hain scored an unbeaten 109 two days before his 19th birthday.

It was the second century in seven first-class matches for a right-hander born in Hong Kong of British parents and raised largely in Australia.

He has played for Australia Under 19s but has said he wants to play for England and showed remarkable composure when Hastings tried to unsettle him in the morning.

There were nine overs to be bowled with the old ball and it was during that period that Hastings carried the greatest threat.

He shaved Ambrose’s off stump when the batsman inexplicably shouldered arms to a ball which scarcely deviated.

In his next over Hastings was convinced he had Hain lbw without addition to his overnight 12. The ball looked destined for middle stump, so umpire Steve Gale, who used to play for Shropshire, must have suspected an inside edge.

Hastings was not impressed and directed some angry stares at Hain, who was content to accumulate steadily while Rikki Clarke played his usual classy strokes in a seventh-wicket stand of 101.

Clarke produced some elegant on drives when Graham Onions took the new ball and conceded 23 runs in six overs before making way for Hastings to return.

With Chris Rushworth also ineffective, Borthwick was tried at the other end and in his second over Clarke advanced to drive a six over long-off, then pulled another one in front of mid-wicket.

Collingwood replaced the leg-spinner and a straight drive, which went for four despite hitting the stumps, took Clarke to 50 off 71 balls.

But, true to form, he got out when in full cry. He had just failed to connect with a cut when he shaped to drive a ball of almost yorker length from Hastings and edged to Phil Mustard.

John Hastings, centre, after the wicket of Rikki Clarke

Hastings finished with five for 94, his first five-wicket haul for Durham, and the only other seamer to pick up a wicket was Onions, who had one for 121.

His victim was Jeetan Patel, who confidently stroked 32 off 26 balls before edging a cut to Mustard.

Hain was on 82 when he was joined by last man Boyd Rankin, the only member of the Warwickshire team who would not be considered a proficient batsman.

But there has been plenty of recent evidence that even No 11s can bat and the big Irishman hung around until Hain had reached his hundred off 188 balls.

He got there with an upper cut for his 12th four off Onions, then hooked to long leg, where Muchall held the catch high over his head but was over the rope.

In the next over Rankin was adjudged lbw to Borthwick, who finished with three for 70, his best championship analysis since taking six for 70 at the Oval in May last year.

Although the leg-spinner got through 16.1 overs, Durham’s over-rate still read minus two and they will hope to bowl again to rectify that.

But they will have to avoid following on for the second successive week.

SCOREBOARD

At Emirates Durham ICG.

Overnight: Warwickshire 256-5 (W T S
Porterfield 90, I J L Trott 76).

Warwickshire First Innings
S R Hain not out...................................109
T R Ambrose b Hastings ........................ 4
R Clarke c Mustard b Hastings...........54
K H Barker c & b Borthwick................. 15
J S Patel c Mustard b Onions..............32
W B Rankin lbw b Borthwick ................ 3
Extras (lb20 nb4 pens 0) ... 24
Total (124.1 overs) ............ 472
Fall: 1-41 2-98 3-229 4-250 5-256 6-260
7-361 8-390 9-439
Bowling: Rushworth 20-1-69-0. Onions
29-2-121-1. Hastings 30-5-94-5. Wood
25-4-78-0. Collingwood 4-0-20-1.
Borthwick 16.1-0-70-3.

Durham First Innings Close
M D Stoneman c Ambrose b Wright.... 5
K K Jennings b Barker........................... 12
S G Borthwick not out .......................... 24
M J Richardson c Clarke b Barker........ 2
G J Muchall not out................................ 13
Extras (nb6 pens 0)............... 6
Total 3 wkts (22 overs) .......62
Fall: 1-13 2-35 3-47
To Bat: P D Collingwood, P Mustard, J W
Hastings, M A Wood, G Onions, C
Rushworth.
Bowling: Barker 11-5-22-2. Wright 9-3-34-
1. Patel 2-1-6-0.