County Championship: Durham batters on top against Lancashire

David Bedingham made his third Championship century of the season against Lancashire and also passed 1,000 first-class runs for this campaign to help Durham take control of their match at Chester-le-Street.

Having restricted Lancashire to 228 all out in their first innings, the home side were 367-4 at the close, a lead of 139, with Bedingham 177 not out and Colin Ackermann unbeaten on 111. The pair’s unbroken stand of 268 has already set a new fifth-wicket record for Durham in first-class cricket.

The one positive aspect of the day’s play from a Lancastrian perspective was the bowling of Trinidadian Anderson Philip, who took two wickets for 86 runs on his debut. However, the visitors face a battle to avoid a third Championship defeat in succession.

Lancashire’s last four wickets added a further 51 runs to their overnight total. Matty Hurst was run out for 90 after a mix-up with Tom Bailey and Ben Raine took his fifth wicket of the innings when he had Phillip leg before wicket for two.

Raine finished with 5-44, his best return of the season, but crucially for their hopes of staying in Division One, Lancashire failed to earn a batting bonus point for the third successive match.

Replying to the visitors’ modest 228, Durham’s batters encountered their own problems against the new Kookaburra ball.

Ben McKinney gave Phillip his first wicket for his new county when he played on for eight and Scott Borthwick’s indeterminate waft at a ball from Bailey edged a catch to Hurst with the home skipper on nine.

Alex Lees fell to Phillip for 43 and then Ollie Robinson was trapped on the crease by Tom Aspinwall for four.

However, there were no more Lancashire breakthroughs as Bedingham and Ackermann prospered in the evening sun.

Report supplied by ECB Reporters’ Network.