Poynter and Richardson set Durham record with centuries
Stuart Poynter and Michael Richardson were in recordbreaking form as they helped Durham to a first-innings lead on day three of their Specsavers County Championship Division Two clash against Derbyshire.
Poynter made his maiden championship century and Richardson scored his first in nearly four years as the pair shared Durham’s highest sixth-wicket stand of 278.
Poynter was eventually out for a career-best 170 but he and Richardson (115) had completely transformed the game at Derby as the visitors recovered from 175 for five to 520 all out.
The hosts survived two overs before stumps and begin the final day trailing by 92.
Derbyshire held all the cards at the start of the day when Durham resumed still 162 away from avoiding the follow-on. When Cameron Steel went in the first over, caught at second slip off Duanne Olivier, Derbyshire must have sensed there was a chance to take complete control of the game but Graham Clark and Paul Collingwood gave the first indications of the fightback to come.
Collingwood responded to a painful blow from Hardus Viljoen by hooking him for six and Clark reached his 50 with a straight-driven four off the South African.
The pair had added 54 when Ravi Rampaul found some late movement to have Collingwood caught behind for 27 and in the next over Clark was lbw to one from Tony Palladino that kept low.
Durham were now back in trouble but Richardson and Poynter then turned the game around.
Derbyshire had a chance to break the stand when Richardson was on 33 and Durham 224, but wicketkeeper Daryn Smit put down a chance diving to his right after Olivier had found an edge.
It proved a big moment in the day as the pair moved through the gears in the afternoon sunshine, with Poynter completing his century from 128 balls as 148 runs came in the session.
Poynter cut Matt Critchley’s leg spin for his 17th four to reach 150 and take their partnership past Durham’s previous highest sixthwicket stand of 249 between Gordon Muchall and Phil Mustard at Kent in 2006.
Richardson completed his first championship century since May 2014 in the next over and it was a surprise when Poynter played across a low full toss from Olivier and was lbw.
Palladino had Richardson lbw and finished with four for 87 but it was Durham’s day.