Day Four
Result: Worcestershire (390 & 84/5; Rushworth 5/28) beat Durham (273 & 197; Trevaskis 47; Tongue 5/37) by 5 wickets
Worcestershire overcame a five wicket blast from Chris Rushworth to register a second successive win on the final day of the Specsavers County Championship clash with Durham at Blackfinch New Road.
Rushworth picked up five wickets and posed all sorts of problems in reducing Worcestershire to 55-5 in pursuit of an 81-run target at the start of play.
It was the 22nd five wicket haul of his career and made for a more nervy morning than Worcestershire would have anticipated.
He ended with figures of 9-3-28-5.
But the sixth wicket pair of Ross Whiteley and Ben Cox saw Worcestershire over the finishing line half an hour before lunch.
Rushworth was soon into his stride in trapping Daryl Mitchell (9) lbw after he offered no stroke and George Rhodes (0) went for a drive and was bowled.
Josh Dell (4) failed to repeat the heroics of his first innings half century on debut and also had his stumps shattered by Rushworth.
First innings century-maker Riki Wessels was undone by a ball which kept low and castled him for a third ball duck.
Fell mixed some genuine attacking strokes with fortuitous edges in making 36 off 37 balls with eight fours before he went lbw.
Durham face Gloucestershire starting on Monday at Emirates Riverside.
Day Three
Close, Day Three: Worcestershire (390; Wessels 118, Whiteley 72; Salisbury 4/67) vs Durham (273 & 197; Trevaskis 47; Tongue 5/37) – Worcestershire require 81 to win
Liam Trevaskis led a late afternoon battle but Josh Tongue’s five-for has Worcestershire on the verge of victory in the Specsavers County Championship match at Blackfinch New Road.
The home side had gained a first innings advantage of 117 after extending their overnight total from 321-6 to 390 all out.
Trevaskis had kept Worcestershire at bay until Tongue returned to dismiss him and Matt Salisbury in successive balls to complete his five wicket haul.
Durham had been immediately on the back foot with Alex Lees (2) lbw to Charlie Morris and fellow opener Cameron Steel (17) was bowled by a Joe Leach delivery which cut back.
Tongue accounted for Bancroft (25) when the Australian dragged the ball onto his stumps.
Keeper Ben Cox then produced a superb legside stumping to account for Gareth Harte (25) standing up to Ed Barnard.
Ned Eckersley (12) looked to turn the ball to leg and was bowled by a Tongue delivery which kept low.
The steady procession of wickets continued as Jack Burnham, who had top-scored with 76 in the first innings, pushed forward and edged Tongue through to Cox with the total 129-6.
Ben Raine (23) helped Trevaskis add 49 in 19 overs before he holed out to Daryl Mitchell at mid wicket off Leach.
Trevaskis fell three short of his half century when he was lbw to Tongue who then yorked Matt Salisbury (0) with his next delivery.
Leach wrapped up the innings when Chris Rushworth (2) was caught behind.
When Worcestershire resumed this morning, Ross Whiteley and Cox completed their century partnership in 22 overs.
Rushworth broke the stand when it was worth 101 by bowling Whiteley who struck nine fours and two sixes in his 96-ball 72.
A fourth batting point was secured with four balls to spare when Barnard edged Raine to the boundary.
Salisbury struck twice in the same over as Cox (38) clipped the ball into the hands of Matthew Potts at mid wicket and Leach (0) went for an ambitious pull and was bowled.
But Barnard (25) and last man Tongue (20 not out) added 36 before the former skied spinner Trevaskis to backward square leg.
Day Two
Close, Day Two: Worcestershire (321/6; Wessels 118, Whiteley 62*; Salisbury 2/49) lead Durham (273; Burnham 76, Bancroft 70; Morris 6/53) by 48 runs
A magnificent century from Riki Wessels held up Durham’s bowlers as his side established control against Durham at Blackfinch New Road.
The 33-year-old reached three figures off 120 balls with four sixes and 13 fours and entertained the crowd with a series of sparkling strokes.
He was eventually dismissed for 118 from 133 balls after hitting four sixes and 16 fours as Worcestershire closed on 321-6 a lead of 48.
Durham’s bowlers never gave up in their pursuit of wickets in the New Road sun, with Matt Salisbury the pick of the bowlers.
Worcestershire resumed on 1-1 in reply to Durham’s first innings total of 273 and suffered two early setbacks.
Tom Fell (6) was lbw to paceman Salisbury after looking to work the ball on the legside.
The same bowler then accounted for night-watchman Charlie Morris (3) who was caught on the crease and nicked through to keeper Ned Eckersley, his maiden first-class catch for the county.
There was a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of debutant Josh Dell and George Rhodes, and the pair responded in determined fashion.
It was a similar scenario to yesterday when Durham captain Cameron Bancroft and Jack Burnham came together at 14-3 and showed plenty of fight and resilience in reviving the innings.
Dell got off the mark from his 10th delivery with a cut for four off Matthew Potts and brought up the 50 in the 28th over with a boundary off Gareth Harte.
The stand was broken after adding 47 in 28 overs when Rhodes (28) was lbw to Raine – but that brought in Wessels who gradually upped the tempo.
Wessels went to his half century off 56 balls and the 100 stand with Dell came up in just 19 overs.
Dell then completed a fifty when he steered Chris Rushworth down to third man for his eighth boundary.
The stand was broken when Dell (61) attempted a straight drive and was bowled by a full length Harte delivery.
The penultimate over before the second new ball was taken accounted for Wessels who flicked Potts to mid wicket the ball after edging just wide of the wicketkeeper.
But Ross Whiteley ensured the momentum of the Worcestershire innings was maintained on his way to a 71 ball half century.
By the close he was unbeaten on 62 and vice-captain Ben Cox (28 not out) provided excellent support in an unbroken stand of 85.
Day One
Close, Day One: Worcestershire (1/1) trail Durham (273; Burnham 76, Bancroft 70, Raine 42; Morris 6/53) by 272 runs
Jack Burnham scored his first half-century since July 2017 as he & Cameron Bancroft led Durham’s innings on a see-saw opening day at Blackfinch New Road.
Burnham top-scored with a resolute 76 to help rescue Durham from 14-3 to make 273 all out.
He shared a century stand with Durham captain Cameron Bancroft who registered his first fifty in the Championship for his adopted county after making a fine impression in the Royal London One-Day Cup.
With two overs left to the close, Chris Rushworth struck to remove Daryl Mitchell LBW with the second ball to leave the hosts 1/1.
It was Worcestershire captain Joe Leach, playing his first match in 12 months, and Charlie Morris who inflicted the early damage after Durham had elected to bat.
Alex Lees (0) dragged a drive aimed at Morris onto his stumps and then Leach had Cameron Steel (5) caught at first slip by Rikki Wessels low to his right and trapped Gareth Harte (1) lbw trying to work the ball to leg.
Bancroft and Burnham were initially circumspect as they dug in to repair the early damage before they reached their half centuries off 126 and 109 balls respectively.
The pair had added 149 in 46 overs but their departures and the loss of three wickets for 14 runs in the space of six overs swung the momentum back the way of Worcestershire.
Bancroft (70) tried to work Josh Tongue on the legside and was lbw after hitting five fours and one six in his 164 ball knock. In the next over Burnham (76) nicked Charlie Morris through to keeper Ben Cox after facing 140 deliveries and striking 12 boundaries.
Then Leach returned to the attack and enjoyed a third success when he bowled Liam Trevaskis (5).
Late order resistance came from Ben Raine (42), his first-class career-best for the county, and Ned Eckersley (22) as they added 60 for the eighth wicket before the second new ball brought its rewards for Morris.
Raine, Matt Salisbury (8) and Matthew Potts (20) were all pouched by Daryl Mitchell at second slip and Eckersley edged to Cox.