Visitors on course for final as Durham endure a day of toil
DERBYSHIRE’S batsmen kept the North Group leaders in contention for a place in the Bob Willis Trophy final on the third day of their match against Durham at Emirates Riverside.
A century for Luis Reece and 50s from skipper Billy Godleman and Wayne Madsen helped Derbyshire pocket four batting points as they closed on 355-4 in reply to Durham’s 337-9 declared.
Godleman passed 9,000 first-class runs and some late acceleration from Leus Du Plooy (40) and Matt Critchley (46 not out) completed a productive day for Derbyshire.
After 57 overs were lost to rain on Sunday and with Storm Francis threatening to wipe out day four, Derbyshire were desperate to get in three full sessions to pick up bonus points.
Excellent work by the groundstaff made sure play started on time after heavy overnight rain and, once Durham immediately declared, Godleman and Reece laid the foundations for a substantial firstinnings score.
With overhead conditions bright and sunny, there was little on offer for the Durham bowlers on a pitch which has become increasingly easy to bat on and they toiled throughout the first session without reward.
Godleman certainly enjoyed himself, reaching his career milestone when he made 32 and cutting and driving Gareth Harte for three fours in an over.
That prompted Harte to hurl the ball into Godleman’s pads and although there was no reaction from the Derbyshire skipper, the umpires spoke to Durham captain Ned Eckersley before play resumed.
Godleman survived a tough chance to second slip on 37 but after completing his 50 from 103 balls, he made only one more run after lunch before he drove Matty Potts one-handed to point.
But Durham had to wait for another 38 overs for another success as Reece and Madsen moved through the gears with Reece dispatching Harte over long-on for the game’s first six to bring up the 150.
With the wicket offering nothing,
Durham opted for containment after tea and even turned to wicketkeeper Stuart Poynter, playing as a batsman in this game, who bowled his first overs in first-class cricket.
If Durham hoped the element of surprise might conjure a wicket, the ploy was shelved after Poynter’s four overs yielded 21 runs and little else and it was Derbyshire’s pursuit of quick runs that broke the secondwicket stand. After Reece completed his seventh first-class hundred from 217 balls, Madsen attempted to dispatch Matthew Salisbury out of Chester-le-Street and lost his footing along with his middle stump.
The pair had added 124 and Reece also perished trying to clear the ropes when his one-handed drive at Chris Rushworth was well judged and taken by Potts at long-on.
Another 69 from 76 balls were added before Harte produced a slow yorker to bowl Du Plooy for 40.
■ DURHAM’s opening Vitality T20 Blast clash with Lancashire Lightning at Emirates Riverside on Thursday will now start at 2.30pm.
The game – to be played behind closed doors – was originally scheduled for 6.30pm but has been brought forward.