Lancashire- 370 (100) Durham- 295 (87.2)
Matthew Potts led a lower order fightback from Durham as they defied a brilliant bowling effort from James Anderson and Lancashire on day two of their Rothesay County Championship clash.
Potts and Ben Raine cleaned up Lancashire’s tail with minimum fuss in the morning, as Durham bowled Lancashire out for 370. However, the hosts’ batting line up struggled to click into gear during the early stages of their reply, with Anderson’s early double blow handing Lancashire the initiative.
Tom Bailey took two poles in the afternoon to put the visitors in cruise control, but Potts’ fifth First Class half-century along with defiant knocks from Raine and Callum Parkinson led a fightback and helped Durham reach 295 all out, a first innings deficit of 75.
Durham came into the morning with the aim to dislodge unbeaten centurion Marcus Harris and it was Raine who finally got him for a sublime 146 as the Australian edged to second slip.
Durham then cleaned up the Lancashire tail quickly, as Potts dismissed both Mitch Stanley and Anderson in the same over.
Durham started their reply with a testing period against Anderson and Bailey under the lights and the visitors got off to a great start as the former bowled the dangerous Ben McKinney.
Anderson then struck again as he got one to swing into Alex Lees’ pads and the Durham skipper was given LBW.
Emilio Gay and David Bedingham joined forces at the crease, with Durham desperately needing a partnership, but that wasn’t to be as Stanley got the latter LBW.
Gay and Graham Clark managed to get their side to lunch without further loss, but the visitors were celebrating a wicket once again after the break, with Clark edging a Balderson delivery to slip.
Lancashire were then hit by an injury blow themselves, with spin bowling all-rounder Arav Shetty sustaining a hand injury and wicket keeper George Bell replaced him.
Gay was keeping his team’s hopes of getting close to Lancashire’s score intact, but the visitors kept on cranking up the pressure with a probing line and length.
However, when it appeared Durham were steadying the ship, Gay and Kasey Aldridge fell in successive balls, both edging Bailey deliveries to slip.
Ollie Robinson then fell LBW to Stanley to deepen Durham’s woe, as they were still some way off avoiding the follow-on.
Raine offered some resistance but he was then part of a calamitous run-out with Potts, as Matty Hurst’s direct hit slammed into the stumps when Raine was well out of his ground.
Injury replacement Minto joined Potts for his first action of the game and he looked the part with the bat alongside Potts, helping Durham pass 200 as they continued to frustrate Lancashire.
However, Minto’s defiant knock came to an end, as he edged a delivery from former teammate Paul Coughlin straight to the slip cordon.
Durham then avoided the follow-on and picked up a batting bonus point, with Potts passing fifty when an airy cut shot flew to the boundary.
Parkinson, who was dropped on six, ably assisted Potts during a final wicket stand worth 78 that was Durham’s biggest in their innings, and the day concluded when Bailey got Potts LBW for a vital 66.
Durham take seven Lancashire wickets on the opening day but Marcus Harris’ second century of the season for Lancashire defied Durham’s pursuit for wickets on an enthralling first day of their Rothesay County Championship Division Two clash.
An evenly-matched morning session was played out between the two, as Durham took three Lancashire scalps despite a series of dropped catches, with Harris one of the beneficiaries.
The Australian then cashed in across the afternoon and passed three figures in First Class cricket for the 35th time during the evening session, but wickets kept tumbling at the other end, with Ben Raine picking up three of them as Durham chipped away.
However, Harris remained unbeaten on 135 and Lancashire reached close on 356 for seven to give the visitors the edge after day one.
Lancashire were put into bat by Durham at the toss under sunny skies at the Banks Homes Riverside and the visitors got off to a fast start, but Matthew Potts struck back for the hosts as George Balderson nicked one to second slip.
Durham soon got their second as Josh Bohannon thrashed Sam Conners’ first ball of the season straight to Potts at cover.
Conners continued to cause problems, beating the bats of Keaton Jennings and Harris on numerous occasions, but the Lancashire pair kept their wickets intact while taking run-scoring opportunities when they arose.
Jennings was then dropped twice on 26 as Kasey Aldridge failed to cling on to an edge from a Raine delivery at second slip and David Bedingham dropped him at third slip after Conners found the outside edge.
Harris was then given a second life which Durham would come to rue as Ollie Robinson dropped him on 22 after he nicked a Raine delivery. However, at the other end, Jennings’ luck ran out as he chopped on to his stumps at the hands of Aldridge.
After lunch, former Durham man Michael Jones departed after edging a Conners delivery to third slip. But the ever-reliable Harris remained and he passed fifty for the third time this season.
Matty Hurst joined Harris and consolidated for Lancashire in the afternoon, with the former looking to keep the scoreboard ticking over, hitting the first six of the match, and Harris continued to accumulate.
A fifth wicket then came for the hosts as Hurst’s handy knock came to an end after Raine got him LBW. Conners very nearly had a third, as Arav Shetty feathered one down the legside, but a juggling Robinson couldn’t cling on.
Raine then struck with the final ball before tea as Shetty was caught behind. Harris and Paul Coughlin, coming up against his former employers, resumed after tea and they took Lancashire into bonus point territory.
Harris then reached his century with a single on the legside and was leading his side to a competitive total along with Coughlin.
Durham turned to the second new ball to bring them a wicket and it did as Raine sent Coughlin’s stumps flying. However, Lancashire then passed 300, picking up a second bonus point, as Tom Bailey looked to be the latest to support Harris.
The tailender held firm, as Harris accumulated more runs which included a delightful cover drive to the boundary.
Lancashire managed to tick up their third bonus point and they safely negotiated the final overs of the day, concluding it on 356 for seven.