Championship Report: Warwickshire at Durham

Day 4: Close

Warwickshire have moved back to the top of the Specsavers County Championship Division Two table after recording a comfortable 86-run win over Durham at Emirates Riverside.

Jeetan Patel was the star man for his side in the second innings as he took the 32nd five-wicket haul of his career, ending with figures of 6-83.

Durham were left to rue batting collapses from their middle order to slump to their second defeat on the spin. The visitors got back to winning ways in the Championship after their defeat at Kent last week, clinching their fifth victory of the campaign to reclaim their place on the summit.

Warwickshire began the day with a lead of 279, and it was clear from the off that they were in a hurry to push on their total beyond 300. Keith Barker and Tim Ambrose were able to put on a partnership of 60 before Ryan Pringle broke the stand. The off-spinner claimed three wickets in a single over as Patel and Chris Wright were dismissed in back-to-back deliveries.

Oliver Hannon-Dalby played a loose drive to continue the procession of wickets before the visitors declared on 185-9, leaving Durham 313 to chase in their final innings. Warwickshire put the pressure on the home side early on as Cameron Steel knicked off to Ian Bell at third slip.

Tom Latham and Will Smith stabilised the innings, heading into the first break of the day one wicket down. The duo reached their fifty partnership after the restart, but soon lost Smith when he edged a short delivery from Hannon-Dalby through to Ambrose. Latham soon followed when he fell lbw to Patel, while Paul Collingwood fell in the same over edging behind.

Slight resistance came forward from Graham Clark and Gareth Harte, making the visitors work hard to earn a further breakthrough. However, Clark lost his discipline against Patel, playing a loose drive to become his third victim of the innings. Ryan Davies scored boundaries to try to put the pressure back on Warwickshire.

Ryan Sidebottom’s arrival into the attack produced the wicket of Harte as he picked out Dominic Sibley. The theme of the innings continued as one became two when Davies was out in the next over to Patel. Bell continued his fine performance in the field to remove Ryan Pringle, claiming a stunning catch at mid-wicket.

Patel notched his fifth wicket when Matt Salisbury departed for a hard-fought 19 when he edged behind to Ambrose. Wright should have ended the innings when Nathan Rimmington drove straight to Wright, only to be dropped while a run out attempt was missed by the bowler. Rimmington offered late fireworks, blasting his maiden fifty for Durham off 51 ball, including eight fours and a six.

Rimmington was the last man to fall when he was bowled by Patel to allow the visitors to secure the victory by a comfortable margin.

Day 3: Close

Warwickshire are in command of their Specsavers County Championship Division Two clash against Durham heading into the final day of action at Emirates Riverside.

The home side were unable to kick on from their promising start at the end of day two. Early wickets held back their progress, and although Gareth Harte and the lower order put forward a decent effort they were only able to put 297 on the board in reply to 424 as Oliver Hannon-Dalby finished with figures of 4-61.

Matt Salisbury troubled the Warwickshire batting line-up, claiming three wickets as Jon Lewis’ men pressed for a response. However, another composed knock of fifty from Jonathan Trott took the game away from Durham, with the visitors boasting a lead of 279 at the end of day three.
Durham endured a poor start to the third day losing Cameron Steel on 51 in the first over as he was caught behind. Will Smith made only two when he became the second victim of the day, knicking off from a rising delivery from Hannon-Dalby.

Paul Collingwood displayed a positive intent with a couple of early boundaries, but his underwhelming season continued when Hannon-Dalby pinned him lbw for nine. Graham Clark continued the Durham morning collapse when he edged an attempted sweep to Ian Bell at second slip off Jeetan Patel, while Ryan Davies followed in the same manner for a duck.

The home side were in need of a partnership to stem the tide. Harte and Ryan Pringle offered resistance until the brink of the tea break when Pringle became Hannon-Dalby’s fourth wicket of the innings, ending the stand of 48.

Nathan Rimmington came out with an attacking intent, scoring five boundaries in a partnership of 54 with Harte. However, his dismissal for 32 brought about a swift end to the Durham innings, falling just short of the 300-run mark as Chris Wright claimed the scalps of the Australian and Harte.

Warwickshire held a lead of 127 at the beginning of their second innings. Dominic Sibley made 18 before he became the first wicket to fall as Matt Salisbury found the edge. The Durham seamer continued his rich vein of form by removing Bell for only four as Collingwood made a good catch at second slip.

Rimmington kept the pressure on he produced a fine delivery to bowl Will Rhodes for nine. Trott as he did in the first innings brought a sense of calm to the crease. The 37-year-old combined with Adam Hose for a partnership of 64 for the fourth wicket to turn the momentum away from the north east outfit.

Durham tried to break back into the game as Hose departed lbw to Rushworth for 15. Trott survived a good shout for a catch at short leg off Pringle before he passed fifty once again, reaching the milestone in 70 balls.

However, Salisbury was able to remove the veteran as he glanced a leg-side drive straight to Clark. Tim Ambrose and Keith Barker saw their team through to the close on 152-2 with a formidable lead over the home side.

Day 2: Close

Durham have made a solid start to their innings after Warwickshire were bowled out for 424 on day two of their Specsavers County Championship Division Two clash at Emirates Riverside.

Warwickshire resumed the second session on 393-8, but after passing the 400-run mark, Oliver Hannon-Dalby fell for 13 edging a Chris Rushworth delivery to Tom Latham at first slip.

Ryan Sidebottom joined Trott at the crease and put in 19 runs for the final wicket before the tailender was pinned lbw by Nathan Rimmington for six, leaving the visitors all out for 424. Trott was unbeaten on 170 frustrating Durham to the end with his patience at the crease to put his team in a strong position.

Warwickshire’s opening bowlers Keith Barker and Chris Wright raced in with menace finding early movement. However, Cameron Steel and Tom Latham saw the home side through to the break without loss reaching their fifty partnership in the 21st over, although Tim Ambrose almost stumped Steel off Jeetan Patel.

Day One: Close

Jonathan Trott scored an unbeaten century to put Warwickshire in a strong position on 297-5 after the opening day of their day/night Specsavers County Championship Division Two match against Durham.

The 37-year-old displayed patience at the crease to score his second hundred of the season at Emirates Riverside after previously reaching three figures in Warwickshire’s Royal London One-Day Cup victory in the north east.

Matt Salisbury led the way for Durham with the ball, taking three wickets. However, it was a frustrating day in the field for the home side, who have plenty of work ahead of them to get back into the match.

Warwickshire won the toss and elected to bat first against the Dukes pink ball. Salisbury continued to impress at the top of the innings for the home side, notching the wicket of Will Rhodes after the opener edged to Tom Latham at the second slip.

Ian Bell came to the crease having made three centuries in his last four first-class innings. He scored three boundaries with relative ease, although he was out going for another drive to the fence, drilling his effort straight at Cameron Steel at backward point off Salisbury for 23.

Trott brought a sense of calm to the innings as he and Dominic Sibley ensured that there were no further dismissals before the first break. However, four deliveries after the restart Sibley was pinned lbw by Rushworth for 27, missing a straight delivery. Trott used his experience to frustrate the Durham bowlers, displaying patience and nous in his innings.

There were problems at the other end as Adam Hose survived an inside edge off Salisbury by millimetres. The bowler returned in the following over to remove Hose, who top edged a rising delivery and Ryan Davies did brilliantly racing back towards the fine leg boundary to make the catch.

Tim Ambrose survived an lbw appeal from Nathan Rimmington early in his innings. He provided assistance for Trott, who reached his fifty off 94 deliveries, surpassing the milestone with a nudge down to the third man boundary. Together the duo were able to manipulate the softening pink ball around the outfield to reach their fifty partnership.

As Durham’s bowlers began to wear down, Trott and Ambrose increased the intensity of the visitors’ innings. Their 100 partnership arrived 179 deliveries, while both batsmen closed in on landmarks at the crease. Ambrose reached his fifty first in 112 balls with a gentle nudge into the offside before the new ball.

Ambrose received another life as he edged a delivery just past his stumps before Trott notched his century. He caressed a full ball from Rushworth through the covers to score his 45th first-class hundred, reaching the milestone in 187 balls.

Ambrose was dropped by Collingwood off Rushworth on 67, but it proved not to be costly as the wicket-keeper clipped a leg glance to Gareth Harte, ending the 135-run partnership. Salisbury could have ended the day with a fourth scalp, only for Latham to drop Keith Barker at second slip, which allowed the visitors to end the day five