LEICESTER CAPITALISE ON COLLY’S BIG CALL
DURHAM UNDER THE COSH ON FIRST DAY OF CHAMPIONSHIP CLASH AT THE RIVERSIDE
Leicestershire enjoyed an imperious start to their Specsavers County Championship Division Two clash against Durham, posting 301-4 on day one.
The visitors gleefully punished Durham captain Paul Collingwood for inserting the visitors at the Emirates Riverside yesterday.
Michael Carberry, Paul Horton and Mark Cosgrove all made 50s as the home bowlers toiled on a flat pitch, leaving them with a huge task ahead of them to get back into the contest.
The toss was contested and Collingwood opted to send the visitors into bat, despite the bright sunshine. Carberry and Horton were watchful at the crease in the early stages to see off the threat of the new ball.
Once Chris Rushworth and Nathan Rimmington were removed from the attack, boundaries flowed off Barry McCarthy and James Weighell as Leicestershire coasted into lunch 80-0.
Horton remained composed after the break and notched his 50 off 114 deliveries – his second on the bounce in the Championship. Carberry reached his half-century as he guided a shot down to the boundary, reaching the milestone slightly quicker than his partner, in 97 balls.
The opening partnership of 146 was broken when Horton played a loose cut off the bowling of Rimmington, drilling the ball straight to Cameron Steel at point for 75.
Carberry followed for 73 when he was adjudged lbw to McCarthy in a tight call.
Colin Ackermann found the boundary with regularity, notching five fours and six, and was looking comfortable as Leicestershire passed 200.
However, the South African fell one delivery shy of the tea break when he edged Weighell behind for 36. Mark Cosgrove found his feet and was able to compound his side’s advantage, blunting Durham’s attempts to break back into the contest.
McCarthy then snagged Ned Eckersley lbw for nine.
Cosgrove remained composed and reached his 50 with a boundary, nudging a McCarthy delivery through gully.
The Australian’s half-century was the quickest of the lot, taking only 80 balls, with nine boundariess.
Durham took the new ball with the hope of making further inroads, but the pitch continued to offer little assistance to Rushworth and Rimmington, with Cosgrove unbeaten on 66 at the close.
Asked about the pitch, Durham bowler McCarthy said: “The Riverside is notorious for seam movement and being a bowler-friendly pitch.
“It’s slightly changed with matches here recently, including the secondteam game during the week. There’s been five to six days of cricket in the last two weeks and over 2,000 runs have been scored.
“It was quite flat (yesterday), but if you put the ball in the right areas there was a lot up for grabs. I think we did, but luck was not quite on our side.”