Essex 5 for 0 path Durham 358 (Ackermann 112, Robinson 90, Bedingham 52, Porter 3-57, Cook dinner 3-60)
The previous Leicestershire skipper confirmed exemplary persistence in making 112, a 294-minute innings that fashioned the bedrock of his facet’s 358 all out. The Essex openers safely negotiated the final two overs of the day to complete on 5 with out loss.
However the day began badly for Durham, who misplaced each openers for single figures inside the primary half-hour of play. Scott Borthwick edged Porter huge to Duke’s proper however the wicketkeeper took an outstanding one-handed catch. Subsequent over, Alex Lees was adjudged caught by Duke off Cook dinner however the ex-England batter appeared astonished by the choice.
These dismissals left Durham poorly positioned on 11 for two however the subsequent hour’s play belonged largely to Bedingham, who hit seven fours and a six in reaching a fifty off 47 balls and had made 52 of the 73 runs in his second-wicket partnership with Ackermann when he was bowled by an impressive ball from Porter which angled in earlier than straightening to beat a innocent forward-defensive shot.
Undaunted by this reverse, Ackermann and Robinson continued to attain freely and Durham reached lunch on 129 for 3 after 29 overs.
Robinson started the afternoon session by hitting Cook dinner’s first two deliveries to the backward-point boundary however he was then dropped on 26 off the third when Shane Snater put down a simple likelihood at level, Undeterred, Robinson drove the final ball of the over to the duvet boundary and continued to bat with fluency, reaching his fifth consecutive half-century of the season off 48 balls, having hit 11 boundaries.
The dominance of Durham’s batters was maintained when Ackermann, who had performed the anchor position admirably, reached his fifty off 117 balls and after 164 minutes of selfless focus. Nevertheless, simply when a century beckoned for Robinson, he misjudged a routine push on the leg facet off Harmer, gave a easy catch to Nick Browne at midwicket.
4 overs later, Harmer bowled Graham Clark for 3 with a basic offspinner and 4 overs after tea, Cook dinner introduced one again to have Brydon Carse leg earlier than wicket for 18. However Ackermann’s affected person accumulation continued and he reached three figures off 199 balls with a back-foot cover-drive off Harmer. It was solely his seventh boundary.
Simply over half an hour later, Ackermann fell to the brand new ball when Cook dinner had him leg earlier than wicket and the session improved for the guests when Paul Coughlin pulled Porter straight to Browne at a shortish huge mid-on and departed for 30. Snater took the ultimate two wickets to fall however not earlier than Durham had collected a 3rd batting level.
