Durham made to pay for dropped catches
Dropped catches proved expensive for Durham after the visitors chose to bowl first on the first day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Leicestershire at the Fischer County Ground, Grace Road.
The visitors would come to rue those missed opportunities as the Foxes battled their way to 316 for eight at the close of play - securing themselves three batting points.
Paul Collingwood, captaining Durham for the last time away from their Chester-le-Street home, put down both Harry Dearden and Neil Dexter, both times at first slip, though Dexter should already have been dismissed first ball, Michael Richardson putting down a relatively straightforward chance at third slip.
Had Richardson held the chance, off Matt Salisbury, Leicestershire would have been 139-5 and struggling. As it was, Dexter and Dearden went on to compile a partnership of 77 for the fifth wicket in just 17 overs before Leicestershire’s lower order and tail took their score past 300.
In the absence of captain Paul Horton, unavailable due to personal reasons, Ateeq Javid was promoted to open the Foxes’ batting, and Javid and academy graduate Sam Evans put together a partnership of 31 for Leicestershire’s first wicket before Evans was leg before to a delivery from Chris Rushworth which nipped back in to the young right-hander.
With the bowlers struggling to cope with the strong southerly wind, Colin Ackermann hit Barry McCarthy for successive boundaries before the Ireland international had his revenge with a delivery that moved away just enough to find the edge.
Javid was dismissed shortly after reaching his half-century, his highest score for Leicestershire, leg before to a Rushworth delivery which seamed back, and though Mark Cosgrove showed signs of finding some sort of form in going to 37, he was also beaten on numerous occasions, particularly by Rushworth, before being bowled pushing across the line at a delivery from Salisbury.
Dexter’s good fortune enabled he and Dearden to repair the innings before Dexter eventually went leg before on the front foot to Gareth Harte with the score on 216 shortly before tea, and when Dearden edged a loose drive at Mark Wood without further addition to the score, Durham might have hoped to have their opponents all out for around 260.
But Lewis Hill, in company with Ben Mike, Callum Parkinson and Gavin Griffiths, guided Leicestershire to a third batting bonus point.
Sam Robson hit 134 - his first century of the season as Middlesex finished an enthralling day at 350-8 in their County Championship match with Derbyshire at Lord’s.