Day 4
Day 3
Matthew Potts paraded his batting credentials as Durham piled on the runs in the LV=Insurance County Championship match against Derbyshire at Derby.
Potts scored 64 and shared an eighth wicket stand of 110 from 113 balls with Brydon Carse who made 80 on a day of stoppages at the Incora County Ground.
The Division Two leaders secured maximum batting points for the sixth time this season before they were bowled out for 575 with fast bowler Sam Conners claiming 5 for 115.
That gave Durham a lead of 132 but Derbyshire responded strongly in their second innings to close on 89 without loss,43 behind, with Luis Reece 54 not out
The prospects of a positive result on a pitch where more than 800 runs had been scored on the first two days receded further when only 47 balls were bowled in the morning because of rain.
There was time for Conners to take his fourth wicket when Migael Pretorious was lbw playing back to a full length ball but after lunch the game was held up again but this time in bizarre circumstances.
A coin or a washer was found embedded in the pitch resulting in a delay of several minutes before the umpires decided it did not pose a problem and both teams agreed the match could continue.
Potts and Carse took advantage but only after two excellent catches had stalled Durham’s advance towards a full house of batting points.
Ollie Robinson was looking to the cover boundary when he drove Zak Chappell powerfully but Anuj Dal showed why he is rated one of the top fielders on the circuit by taking off to his right and holding a stunning one-handed grab.
Graham Clark’s edged drive at Chappell was almost past Harry Came at first slip but he swooped to pull off a superb low catch.
At that point, Durham were still 33 short of 450 but Potts continued to exude confidence, putting away the bad balls with crisp drives and cuts.
He reached his third first-class fifty by turning Dal off his hip to the fine leg fence for his seventh four and with Carse quickly finding his range, Durham were motoring along at nearly five an over.
Carse straight drove Dal for six and he also hit nine fours in a 41 ball fifty that underlined the dominance of bat over ball.
The lead was 86 when Potts drove at Reece in the final over before tea and Wayne Madsen pouched his 26th catch in championship cricket this season.
But there was no respite after the interval as Carse and Ben Raine added 43 before Carse was caught behind down the leg side off Reece.
Conners quickly cleaned up Matthew Parkinson to claim his fifth wicket and leave Derbyshire with 27 overs to bat until the close.
Reece and Came had some anxious moments against Raine and Potts with the new ball but once they settled in, played with increasing assurance on a pitch which shows no sign of deteriorating.
Reece came down the track to dispatch Parkinson for six and although Came edged Raine just over the slips, Durham could not break through and with heavy rain forecast for much of day four, a draw looks increasingly likely.
Day 2
Alex Lees won the race to become the first player to score 1,000 championship runs this season as Durham hit back on the second day of the LV=Insurance match against Derbyshire at Derby.
The England batter scored the 84 needed to reach the milestone and went on to make 171 from 210 balls and share a record breaking stand with David Bedingham who was out for 138.
The pair added 305 from 333 balls for the third wicket, a new Durham record, and at stumps on day two the visitors were 364 for 4 ,79 behind Derbyshire’s first innings 443.
Derbyshire wicketkeeper Brooke Guest was last out for 197 to Scott Borthwick who took 4 for 25, and although Sam Conners reduced the Division Two leaders to 8 for 2, the rest of the day belonged to Lees and Bedingham.
Durham had earlier been on the receiving end on a flat pitch as Guest and the tail took advantage of some poor bowling.
Derbyshire added 126 runs in 25 overs with Guest and Conners doing most of the damage by plundering 71 from 48 balls.
Guest reached his 150 by turning Ben Raine behind square for his 23rd four before the Durham seamer got one to straighten and knock out Alex Thomson’s off stump.
Zak Chappell gloved a Brydon Carse lifter to short leg but Durham lost control once Guest and Conners engaged the turbo.
Conners pulled Carse for six and after Derbyshire picked up five penalty runs when the ball struck the helmet behind wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson, he drove Matthew Parkinson over the long off boundary.
Durham were looking increasingly ragged until Conners charged Scott Borthwick and was stumped for 33 off only 25 balls.
Guest had a double century in his sights but when he took on Borthwick, he failed to clear Raine at long on.
It had been an outstanding innings and one that looked even better when Conners struck twice in the fourth over after lunch.
Michael Jones was bowled as he shaped to play through midwicket and Borthwick was caught on the crease but Lees and Bedingham responded with a thrilling counter-attack.
Bedingham lit the fuse by pulling Chappell for six before Lees straight drove Thomson for consecutive sixes.
Lees drove Anuj Dal back over his head for another six and his only anxious moment came on 79 when he almost edged Chappell behind.
But he drove the next ball for four and then turned Chappell for a single to reach that 1,000 milestone which was quickly followed by his fourth century in five innings when he clipped Dal to the fine leg boundary.
Lees had faced only 127 balls but Bedingham reached his hundred off only 113 when he edged Luis Reece to third man for his 15th four.
The runs kept coming and the pair passed Durham’s previous highest third wicket stand of 243 which they had set at Leicester at the end of June.
Lees went to his 150 with successive fours off Nic Potts but the stand was finally broken when Bedingham clipped Dal to substitute fielder Mitch Wagstaff at short midwicket.
Durham sent in Migael Pretorious to take advantage of a tiring attack but Conners returned to remove Lees who was caught behind driving at a wide ball two overs before the close.
Day 1
Derbyshire wicketkeeper Brooke Guest scored a career-best unbeaten 145 to frustrate Division Two leaders Durham in the LV=Insurance County Championship game at Derby.
Guest backed-up his hundred against Sussex at Hove last week with another accomplished display to steer Derbyshire to 317 for 6 after Durham had put them in.
Wayne Madsen made 62 and shared a third wicket stand with Guest of 118 in 32 overs before he fell to England fast bowler Matthew Potts who took 2 for 57 from 20 overs.
Durham’s decision to bowl first was probably based on the overhead conditions rather than the pitch which played well once the sun broke through.
But while there was cloud cover, the openers were challenged by Potts and Ben Raine who saw Luis Reece dropped on three at second slip by David Bedingham.
It did not prove costly as Reece, who along with Harry Came has signed a two year contract extension, offered no shot to a ball from Raine that took out his off stump in the 11th over of the morning.
Durham had to wait another 14 overs for their second success with Potts removing Came with a full length ball that straightened to bowl him for 16.
Madsen almost went first ball, edging Potts just short of first slip and there was more frustration for the paceman when he squared Madsen up but the ball flew over the slip cordon.
Potts had the chance to remove Madsen on 14 in the fourth over after lunch when an edge off Brydon Carse went low to him in the gully but the ball went through his hands.
It was a miss Durham were made to pay for as Guest and Madsen played with increasing authority in bright sunshine.
Guest drove Migael Pretorious through the covers for his ninth four to reach 50 from 103 balls before Madsen greeted Matt Parkinson by sweeping him for four.
He came down the pitch to the leg spinner and lifted him over mid on for his eighth boundary to go to 50 off 73 balls and the runs continued to flow with the century stand coming up from 157 deliveries.
Durham were desperate for a wicket and Potts provided it when he found some extra bounce to have Madsen caught in the gully by Alex Lees.
Haider Ali survived a close lbw shout against Potts but announced his intentions in the last over before tea by launching Parkinson into the seats behind long on.
It completed a good session for the hosts with Guest 13 runs short of another hundred which he completed in the eighth over after the restart by sweeping Parkinson for his 15th four.
Guest faced 181 balls and showed good judgement to bat his side into a promising position against the top side in the division.
The stand with Ali was worth 70 when Durham got a fourth wicket in bizarre fashion. The Pakistan right hander went to sweep Scott Borthwick, survived a confident lbw appeal but set off for a run that was never on and was stumped by Ollie Robinson, who continued his fine form behind the stumps.
That brought in Leus du Plooy who needed 21 to complete 1,000 championship runs for the season but made only two before he scooped Borthwick low to cover.
Raine claimed his second wicket when he bowled Anuj Dal but Guest made sure it was Derbyshire’s day.