Back to our normal base in Durham City for four days cricket in North East England. We arrived on Sunday 18th August at Jesmond, a leafy suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne for the first day of a Minor Counties game between Northumberland and Cambridgeshire. The Jesmond ground is still much as I remember it for the great days of Callers Pegasus sponsored celebrity cricket matches in the late 1980s and early 1990s before Durham became a first class county. Not a lot of seating available now but a good pavilion and a wide playing area with shorter straight boundaries.
Northumberland are struggling at the bottom of the table and even with reinforcements from down the road, in recently released Michael Richardson and Ryan Pringle from Durham they struggled somewhat on the first morning against a confident looking opening pair from the visitors in Waqas Hussain and Eddie Ballard. These two dominated the proceedings against some rather untidy bowling from the home side and put on 160 runs in 40 overs before lunch.
Hussain, born in Middlesex, was a member of the very successful Berkshire side with an excellent track record before moving to Cambridgeshire this season. Up till now he had made only two fifties, but today was his day and he completed his century shortly after lunch, before being dismissed for 113, which included no less than seventeen fours and one six. His opening partner Ballard fell earlier for 64 out of a splendid opening partnership of 165.
With a cold wind blowing across the ground, we decided to leave at this point to make the short journey to Chester le Street where news had reached us that Alex Lees was making runs for Durham against Leicestershire at the Riverside. We arrived just as newcomer Alex Robson was out for 16 with the total on 118-2. Lees was already well past his fifty and continued to dominate proceedings until well after tea with an innings of 181, including twenty five fours. He looked back to his best after an uphill struggle since joining Durham from Yorkshire last season. We were delighted to be there to see it.
Durham ended the day with a commanding score of 368-5 quite a change from some of their earlier performances with the bat this season. Indeed it was Yorkshire's turn to lose three early wickets at Scarborough with a Durham like 10-3 score. Lees had been partnered briefly by new Australian signing Handscomb, who has replaced Cameron Bancroft, and then more significantly by Jack Burnham with an excellent 86.
On day two the run fest continued with newly appointed captain Ned Eckersley determined to make runs against his former county colleagues, after nightwatchman Rimmington had stayed around to make a useful 25. Eckersley batted on and on with good assistance from Brydon Carse, taking the score beyond 500. Some Durham members were calling for him to declare, but he changed his batting gloves and batted on until Carse was run out for 43, then declaring with a huge total of 544-9.
Leicestershire's opening pair of Hasan Azad, a star performer this season, and veteran skipper Paul Horton made batting look as easy as Durham had earlier, putting on a century partnership with no trouble at all. Things then changed quickly when Carse was returned to the attack to dismiss both Horton and Dexter so that 100-0 became 100-2. Spinner Trevaskis bowled the dangerous Mark Cosgrove for 21 and Carse did the trick again having Azad caught at slip by Handscomb for a patient 53. Leicester 152-4 at the close of day two.
On day three night watchman Wright hung around to make 27 but nobody else could match his score as Carse, who looked pretty quick throughout, and the ever reliable Chris Rushworth demolised the tail in no uncertain fashion, the last four wickets falling for only two runs. Carse finished with career best figures of 6-63 and truly deserved the standing ovation as he left the field. Leicester were asked to follow on, but certainly did not lie down and die. Horton and Azad this time put on 93 for the first wicket with Azad getting his second half century of the match. At the close of day three Leicester were 153-4, still a long way behind and victory for Durham looked inevitable.
Meanwhile back at Jesmond Cambridgeshire achieved victory by 50 runs, despite a first innings century from Richardson for the home side. Northumberland faced the daunting task of chasing 326 to win on the last day and after a good start the middle order somewhat collapsed and it was left to the last wicket pair of McCreath and Williamson to add respectability with a partnership of 76 before they were all out for 276.
With that thought we moved further south the next day to see Durham seconds taking on Essex seconds in a three day game at Darlington. Little did we know that Leicester would bat all day thanks mainly to Mark Cosgrove's century and with the help of an early finish due to bad light managed to hold out for a draw. A great pity Durham could not pull off a victory which would have moved them well up the league table.
However a very pleasant day at Darlington, made all the better for Mrs Mulholland's presence in providing the wonderful catering as only she can. The cricket was pretty interesting too with a lot of young players, mostly local boys, turning up for Essex. This was day two and Rishi Patel had made a century the previous day in Essex's first innings score of 321-7 dec. We saw fifties from Jones and Harte and a quick fire 41 from Poynter, but the young Essex bowlers were well on top with paceman Bhuiyan taking 3-27 and left arm spinner Nijjar, bowling a long spell did very well with 5-62.
When Essex batted again, their former player Matt Salisbury took three early wickets, including experienced Varun Chopra and they slumped to 38-4. The middle order provided some resistance, but at the end of the day, after we had departed for home, Harte finished Essex off with four wickets for four runs in two overs and two balls. Rain delayed the start on day three but Essex just failed to win the game despite taking nine wickets, leaving Durham about thirty runs short of their target.
Finally some confusion surrounds the Second eleven Championship Final which is to be played over four days commencing on Tuesday 3rd September. This is between Leicestershire and Hampshire, not Lancashire and Hampshire, as Lancashire needed to beat Leicester last week and only got a draw.
The confusion arose because Lancashire are playing Hampshire in a three day friendly at Crosby on 16th September. The venue for the final has still to be announced.
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