Durham v Middlesex LV=County Championship (Day Three)

PATIENCE was the watchword for Durham yesterday as they kept chipping away at the Middlesex batting on a fairly lifeless pitch. But they took only eight wickets on an uninterrupted day and will require a further eight today, when rain is forecast.

Enforcing the follow-on against the team who arrived as table toppers is no mean achievement, but it piled a heavy workload on to an attack which couldn’t make the required inroads in the second innings.

All out for 330 with Mark Wood taking four for 75, Middlesex lost Chris Rogers, lbw to Chris Rushworth, in the third over when they were sent back in. But in the remaining 24 overs they lost only one more wicket and closed on 90 for two, 148 behind.

Having to bowl on flat pitches everywhere has been the major difference for Durham this season and injuries haven’t helped.

Graham Onions was expected to make his comeback in a one-day game for the second team against Leeds- Bradford University yesterday, but he was pulled out after suffering further stiffness in his back following Monday’s practice.

Durham needed a wicket in the last over of both the first two sessions to revive their spirits after toiling for the first 90 minutes of the day to make a breakthrough.

Runs had been flowing ominously in the previous few overs and the stand between Joe Denly and John Simpson was worth 114 when Ben Stokes surprised left-hander Simpson with a fast full toss, which splattered his stumps.

The visiting wicketkeeper seemed to think it was an unfair delivery.

Michael Richardson took his third catch of the innings when Denly edged John Hastings to gully in the over before lunch.

But that was the only success on a tough day for the Australian. When he returned with the second new ball he had figures of two for 44 from 20 overs, but he was then clobbered for 23 in three overs, mainly by the slogging Tim Murtagh.

Hastings bowled only three overs in the second innings, but it would be folly to expect too much so soon after his arrival.

When he pitched the ball up he bowled some quite big in-swingers, but the batsmen soon got used to that, knowing he wasn’t going to make it go the other way.

As in the morning, Durham took only one wicket in the afternoon until they again struck in the last over of the session after being held up by half-centuries from Ireland’s Paul Stirling and Toby Roland-Jones.

Middlesex added 143 in the session and it was a relief for Durham to see Roland-Jones get an inside edge into his stumps off Wood to depart for a career-best 63.

The other wicket went to Scott Borthwick when Stirling inside-edged a googly straight into the hands of Keaton Jennings at short leg.

Stirling, who made 55, had three narrow escapes against Rushworth on 17. An edge flew just wide of the slips then an inside edge saved him from being lbw before Stokes failed to hang on to a sharp chance at gully.

The Irishman also top-edged a hook off Stokes over the wicketkeeper on 24, but generally looked a good player.

When Middlesex followed on Australian Test opener Chris Rogers departed for one for the second time in the match, lbw to a ball from Rushworth which swung in to him.

Sam Robson and Dawid Malan then put on 71 before the left-handed Malan was snared by Wood for 33.

The ball after a miscued hook just evaded long leg he was tempted into going for another one and Jennings ran in from deep mid-wicket to hold a fine, diving catch.

Nightwatchman Ravi Patel kept Robson company for the final six overs.

SCOREBOARD

At Emirates Durham ICG.

Overnight: Durham 568-9 dec (S G
Borthwick 216, M D Stoneman 187; T
SRoland-Jones 5-103). Middlesex 69-4.

Middlesex First Innings
J L Denly c Richardson b Hastings ....59
J A Simpson b Stokes ...........................44
P R Stirling c Jennings b Borthwick ..55
T S Roland-Jones b Wood ...................63
T J Murtagh st Mustard b Borthwick..42
S T Finn b Wood ...................................... 2
R H Patel not out...................................... 0
Extras (b1 lb10 nb16 pens 0)27
Total (91.2 overs) .............. 330
Fall: 1-7 2-38 3-39 4-45 5-159 6-175
7-264 8-320 9-324
Bowling: Rushworth 22-6-64-0.
Hastings 23-9-67-2. Wood 17-2-75-4.
Stokes 16-2-70-2. Borthwick 8.2-0-31-2.
Collingwood 5-2-12-0.

Middlesex Second Innings Close
C J Rogers lbw b Rushworth................. 1
S D Robson not out...............................42
D J Malan c Jennings b Wood.............33
R H Patel not out...................................... 7
Extras (b1 lb4 nb2 pens 0).. 7
Total 2 wkts (27 overs) .......90
Fall: 1-5 2-76
To Bat: N J Dexter, J L Denly, J A
Simpson, P R Stirling, T S Roland-Jones,
T J Murtagh, S T Finn.
Bowling: Rushworth 5-0-11-1. Hastings
3-0-6-0. Stokes 6-0-21-0. Wood 6-1-17-1.
Borthwick 7-0-30-0.