14 wickets fall on day one of clash

DURHAM made inroads into Worcestershire’s batting line-up after making 244 all out on day one of the County Championship Division One clash at Kidderminster.

Paul Coughlin picked up two wickets, after Ben Raine had struck in the first over to remove Gareth Roderick for two, and Matthew Potts bowled Brett D’oliveira for a duck.

The hosts were 78-4 at the close.

Ollie Robinson top-scored for Durham (55), with Colin Ackermann reaching 47 and Raine (43) and Potts (22) also making important contributions down the order.

Meanwhile, England duo Joe Root and Harry Brook failed with the bat for Yorkshire as

Middlesex took control by bowling the visitors out for 159 on the opening day of their Vitality County Championship clash at Lord’s.

Root made only five before he fell to Tom Helm, while Brook was caught in the slips off Ethan Bamber for three.

Middlesex’s Ryan Higgins finished with four wickets for 31 runs, with Toby Roland-jones taking three for 49 as their opponents were dismissed in just 37.4 overs.

Jordan Thompson and Mickey Edwards struck back with a wicket apiece but Mark

Stoneman and Leus du Plooy shared an unbroken partnership of 47 to guide Middlesex to 84 for two at stumps.

Home skipper Roland-jones put the visitors in after winning the toss but Adam Lyth (15) was the only wicket until heavy rain and a brief hailstorm intervened at 41 for one.

It was a different story once play resumed at 2pm, with Roland-jones bowling Finlay

Bean off an inside edge before Helm tempted Root to steer straight to gully.

Higgins struck twice in three deliveries, removing both Jonny Tattersall and then Thompson leg before, before Ben Coad’s counter-attack took Yorkshire beyond 150.

Nathan Fernandes and Max Holden departed before another rain delay, but the players returned for nine more overs, during which Stoneman and Du Plooy shaved another 47 runs off the deficit to reach stumps on 38 and 23 respectively.