Durham beat Glamorgan

 Posted by Tony Hutton

Managed to see the first three days of an intriguing County Championship game between Durham and Glamorgan at the Emirates Riverside ground in Chester-le-Street. This was a contest which swung one way and then another throughout. Always something happening and riveting to watch. Two of the outstanding cricketers of the current international scene Ben Stokes, newly announced captain of England for Durham, and Marnus Labuschagne, the prolific Australian batsman for Glamorgan.

The teams line up at the Riverside.

Two Yorkshire umpires -Wharfe and Middlebrook.

The visitors won the toss and in the current fashion invited Durham to bat. They did get a valuable wicket early on, that of Sean Dickson, who has been scoring runs a plenty in recent times. He was caught by Sam Northeast, who one thinks should be playing for Durham, off the bowling of another Australian test player, Michael Neser. Indeed there is very much an international flavour about this Glamorgan side. Both Labuschagne and Neser were born in South Africa yet played for Australia. Chris Cooke the wicketkeeper is yet another South African and opening bowler Michael Hogan is an Australian, but with a British passport.

Alex Lees batting for Durham.

After this early setback Alex Lees got his head down to play a typical resolute innings of 44, partnered by yet another South African in Keegan Petersen, who made his highest score for the county with 78. Borthwick and Bedingham both fell quite cheaply, at which stage Ben Stokes took over. No initial fireworks like his innings at Worcester last week, but a sensible knock of 82, with two sixes off Labuschagne towards the end of his two and half hour stay.

The Glamorgan team return to the pavilion.

Neser was the most economical of the Glamorgan bowlers with figures of 16 - 5 -36 - 2, Hogan bowled the same number of overs but was more expensive. However he plugged away as ever and finished with 4-67. Andrew Gorvin, a relative newcomer from Hampshire, also bowled tidily and picked up the valuable wicket of Bedingham. Van der Gugten on the other hand had to come off injured half way through an over and did not bowl again in the match.

Ben Stokes settles in.

Keegan Petersen made his highest score for Durham.

Eckersley and Raine also contributed to a useful Durham total of 311 all out. Potts, very much Durham's in form bowler, then got to work to leave Glamorgan 31-2 at the close of day one, by removing Salter and then night watchman Gorvin. Next morning Rushworth soon got skipper Lloyd caught in the slips by Borthwick and Glamorgan were struggling at 32-3. Sam Northeast and Kiran Carlson both made valuable fifties, but could not go on to play a really big innings.

The floodlights were on for the final session of play.

When Cooke became Potts' fourth victim on 163-7 Durham might have thought they were into the tail. However, enter Billy Root, younger brother of Joe, at number eight. He has been having a poor season and out of the team, but earlier this week made 175 not out for the second team and, despite coming in so low down, played the innings of the day to help Glamorgan to a first innings lead. He received good assistance from Neser, who has scored a first class century in Australia, in a partnership of 113 for the eight wicket.

Michael Potts on the boundary edge.

Neser and Root were both dismissed in controversial fashion by Ben Raine, both unhappy with the umpires decision and later in the game five penalty runs were added to Durham's second innings score because of their dissent. There had earlier been a couple of incidents with Glamorgan in the field considering that two appeals at least had been unfairly turned down by umpire Alex Wharf. However Timm van Gugten at number ten, struggling with an injury and with Labuschagne as a runner managed 38 not out at the end to take Glamorgan into a lead of 54. One of the features of the innings was the untidy bowling of Ben Stokes with 0-69 from twelve overs.

Billy Root not happy with his dismissal.

On day three Durham recovered well from 41-3 again with a very patient 61 from Lees and a more aggressive 90 from skipper Borthwick, who was unlucky to miss out on a century when bowled to the delight of Labuschagne, who also had the satisfaction of removing Stokes for 26. The home side's progress was limited by an excellent and accurate spell from off spinner Andrew Salter, who at one stage tied the batsmen down completely. Durham subsided to 249 all out, leaving Glamorgan with only 196 to win. Potts was soon among the wickets again and when Labuschagne fell to Raine from the last ball of day three, Durham were back in the hunt.

We missed the final day having travelled back to Headingley where Yorkshire managed a draw with Lancashire, but were able to watch Durham complete an emphatic victory on the live stream, thanks again to Potts, with yet another career best performance of 7-40. Carse chipped in with a couple of wickets and Eckersley took five catches behind the stumps.  A great performance by the home side after the frustrations of not being able to bowl opponents out in their previous games.