Report: Durham v Warwickshire, County Championship

Day Two

Kai Smith and Michael Booth hit half centuries as Warwickshire fought back against a dogged Durham bowling attack.

Durham were dismissed for 387, adding 44 to their overnight total, with spinner Taz Ali mopping up the tail, picking up two wickets to give him figures of four for 66.

Warwickshire’s reply started well with Alex Davies and Rob Yates putting on 57 but they struggled to build on a promising opening as Daniel Hogg and Brendan Doggett put them in a spot of bother at 157 for six. 

However, Smith and Booth excelled with the bat to combine for a 115-run partnership which gave Warwickshire hope of getting close to Durham’s score, but a late cluster of wickets meant the visitors closed on 287 for eight, and a deficit of 100 going into Day Three. 

Resuming on 343 for seven, Ben McKinney and Matthew Potts were looking to pursue quick runs in the opening session. McKinney passed 150 with a nice flick off his pads for four but the opener didn’t last much longer as he was caught behind off Ethan Bamber for 153. 

Potts smashed a Booth delivery over the square leg boundary for six, but his excellent knock ended soon after as he was stumped by Smith off the bowling of 18-year-old Ali for 70. And the spinner wrapped up the innings in the same over when he got Doggett LBW.

Warwickshire’s opening pair of Davies and Yates started their reply well, with Yates producing a lovely cover drive for four off the bowling of Potts.

Davies found the boundary with a super straight drive off Hogg and a few balls later picked up back-to-back fours from the same bowler. Hogg responded though and removed the Warwickshire skipper for 38 as Davies chipped a ball to Emilio Gay, who caught at cover.

Hogg soon struck again soon with the 20-year-old producing a jaffa to bowl Hamza Shaikh for a two-ball duck before lunch.

Bears began the afternoon session in a calm manner, but they offered a huge chance to the hosts as Doggett forced Sam Hain into an edge but Will Rhodes dropped a regulation catch at first slip. 

Durham continued to probe and Yates and Hain were happy to absorb the pressure, but the pressure was too much for the former as he edged a Ben Raine delivery to second slip for 42. 

Hain started to make the most of his second chance as he played a lovely cover drive for four, while Dan Mousley looked good for 24, but Rhodes atoned for his drop by getting him LBW to swing the momentum back to Durham. 

Doggett was then rewarded for his hard work with his first Durham wicket as Hain edged behind to a diving Ollie Robinson for 30. Wickets came like London buses for Doggett as Ed Barnard skied one straight to the hands of Alex Lees at mid-wicket to depart for 12. 

Young wicketkeeper Smith looked good in the early stages of his innings and he picked up three boundaries from one Raine over.

Smith and Booth continued to frustrate Durham, with Smith impressing in particular as he adapted to the match situation and reached his 50 from 86 balls. 

Smith moved through the gears with a cut shot from the bowling of Rhodes going to the boundary and Booth got in on the act as he hit Colin Ackermann for back-to-back boundaries. However, just before the close Smith departed for 79 as he spliced a Hogg delivery in the air and Gay made no mistake at third man. 

There was another boost for the hosts when Raine got Ali LBW for one, but Booth reached his half-century in the final over of the day and remains at the crease with the visitors 100 runs behind.

Kai Smith said: “It was unfortunate I couldn’t kick on to get the big hundred, but I’m still happy to add runs to the board and get that lead down. I’ve still got full faith in the two, Bambs and Boothy, batting there. They’ll come in tomorrow and hopefully we’ll get a few runs on the board and lower the lead.”

“It does go to show that on a wicket like that even after losing a few quick wickets, if you give yourself time in the middle and stick to your basics then you can bat all day almost.”

“The pitch is definitely getting a little flatter, as long as you give yourself time out there you can score runs.”

“I’m absolutely loving being in the team, I’m just trying to take in as much as possible, learning from the guys.”

“It wasn’t a guarantee that I was gonna play, as long as you put in the hard yards, eventually good things are going to come out at the end of it.”

Day One

Warwickshire were left frustrated by an unbeaten century from Durham opener Ben McKinney after a strong bowling display looked to have given them the better of Day One.

Durham had the worst possible start when Ethan Bamber bowled Alex Lees in the first over. But they recovered with McKinney leading the charge, supported by Emilio Gay and the fortunate David Bedingham who was dropped twice on his way to making 58. 

Bears then took the initiative thanks to double-wicket bursts from Michael Booth and Taz Ali either side of tea, but Matthew Potts joined McKinney and made an unbeaten half-century to take Durham to 343 for seven at close.

Durham won the toss and elected to bat but the decision didn’t look a good one when Bamber cleaned up Durham skipper Alex Lees for a six-ball duck. 

McKinney and Gay settled the nerves and the hosts continued to tick along nicely through the two left-handers. McKinney showed a good balance of attack and defence amid some tight Warwickshire bowling.

However, Booth picked up a much-needed wicket as Gay edged a delivery behind to keeper Kai Smith for 41. But that brought last year’s top Division One run-getter David Bedingham to the crease.

McKinney and Bedingham resumed after lunch and they continued to combine well as the former reached 50 off 93 balls.

Bears then missed two big chances to get rid of the dangerous Bedingham, as the South African was dropped twice, both from the bowling of Bamber, with Smith and Yates failing to hold on to chances.

The drops were proving costly for Warwickshire as Durham talisman Bedingham reached his half-century from 88 balls, but Booth removed him for 58 after he trapped the him in front.

McKinney continued to impress but Ollie Robinson didn’t last long as Booth got his third scalp of the day when the wicketkeeper picked out Ali at extra cover for 12. 

Ali then got himself into the wickets with two in quick succession as Colin Ackermann holed out to the legside boundary for 18 after tea and he then bowled ex-Bears skipper Will Rhodes for a three-ball duck.  A third wicket in seven balls then came for the visitors as Ben Raine was bowled for four by Sri Lankan international Vishwa Fernando. 

Despite the chaos at the other end, McKinney remained calm and composed and reached his century from 186 balls after a nervy period in the 90’s where Potts had the bulk of the strike.

Potts supported McKinney well and produced some lovely shots. McKinney then heaved a Bamber ball over the legside boundary for six to pass his career best score and just before close Potts passed 50 for the fourth time in his First Class career.

Michael Booth said: “It wasn’t a bad day. I started well in the first spell, the second one I got rewards and you take those.

(On Bedingham wicket) “It 100 % was a good wicket to pick up, it was nice to get him out. He is one of the best batsmen in the County Championship I think, so it was good to get that wicket.

“Our captain actually said he was happy to lose the toss, he was unsure what was the better option. He said if we bowl first there’ll be enough in it and if we bat first we’ll cash in. I think it was a good toss to lose.

“I’m happy with my performance, I’ll take them as they come.”

(On Bamber form) “Bamber joined us from Middlesex this year. It’s been so good to work with him and get them nuggets of experience from him.”

“Hopefully tomorrow we get the last few wickets and will be batting before lunch, but if it comes to the worst then it’s just after lunch. That’s the plan.”

Squad: Durham v Warwickshire, Rothesay County Championship

Ian Westwood has named a 12-man squad for Warwickshire’s first away day of the 2025 season.

Spinners Danny Briggs and Jake Lintott haven’t made the long trip north to Durham with only 21-year-old fast bowler Che Simmons included alongside the eleven that started last time out against Sussex.

The match is the 36th meeting between Warwickshire and Durham in the County Championship – and the honours are even.

Bears have won 12 and lost 12, with 12 games drawn.

Squad

Davies (c)
Taz Ali
Bamber
Barnard
Booth
Fernando
Hain
Mousley
Shaikh
Simmons
Smith
Yates

How to follow

Members and supporters can follow the match live in our Match Centre at edgbaston.com, which will include a free-to-watch stream and a live text commentary. You can also see a ball-by-ball feed and watch highlights of all the action.

Supporters can get involved by sending their match-day comments and thoughts on Twitter via @WarwickshireCCC and we’ll publish the best ones on our live text commentary in the Match Centre.

Supporters can also watch the Live Stream and get instant push notifications of all wickets, innings and match results via the Edgbaston app, which is free to download on iOS and Android.

Match updates will also be available across the Club’s social media accounts, simply search for @WarwickshireCCC.

Injury Update: OHD back bowling but Durham trip too soon

Olly Hannon-Dalby is making good progress in his recovery from a quad muscle tear but the County Championship visit to Durham comes too early for the 6ft 8ins seamer.

OHD – who picked up the injury in training before last weekend’s red ball opener against Sussex – returned to running and net bowling this week.

However, he’s not in the squad that travelled to Chester-le-Street today (Thursday 10 April) but has a chance of being fit for next week’s visit of Nottinghamshire.

First Team Coach Ian Westwood, said: “Olly is building up. He’s been back doing some running and bowling in recent days and, touch wood, he’s progressing nicely.

“Hopefully he’ll be OK for Notts but we don’t want to rush him back, especially as we have a blank weekend at the end of April. He may need that extra time to sharpen up and return in early May.

“Chris Rushworth is further away from a return. He’s running, doing work in the gym and he’s seen a specialist to get to the bottom of what’s been a troublesome calf problem.

“He’s got a few weeks before he can start bowling properly and we’ll need to make sure he’s fit and match ready before he comes back into the contention.”

Tom Latham was due to make his Bears debut at Durham but the New Zealand Test Captain broke his hand in training with his domestic side Christchurch.

The setback has delayed Latham’s arrival at Edgbaston but it’s expected he’ll be ready next month to join the squad.

Westwood has no fresh injury concerns after the opening round draw with Sussex.

Match Preview: Westwood looking to build on solid start

Bears head to Durham hoping to build on what First Team Coach Ian Westwood described as a solid performance in securing a share of the points in his first game in charge.

His side were under the cosh when Division One newcomers Sussex posted 528 in their first innings back in the top flight.

But an opening wicket stand of 116 in reply by skipper Alex Davies and Rob Yates set the foundations for a “comfortable draw” in Westwood’s words as he was buoyed by some standout performances.

Yates went on to score 180 runs in the game, there were 50s for Davies, Dan Mousley and Ed Barnard, while Ethan Bamber and Taz Ali both took four wickets on their First Class debut for the Club.  

Seven of the starting eleven were aged 26 or under – injury ruling out seasoned campaigners Olly Hannon-Dalby and Chris Rushworth – but Westwood was pleased with how the new-look side gelled quickly.

“There were lots of positives to take and some great individual performances,” reflected Westwood. “We got quite far behind so to get a comfortable draw in the end and for everyone to contribute was pleasing.

“Having got three early wickets on the first morning we were keen to push on. We didn’t make the most of it, perhaps a bit of inexperience, we were trying a bit too hard.

“There are learnings from the first game. I think everyone will be better for that it, for the run out, particularly the seamers, to get overs in their legs.

“We have a lot of talent in the team but we’re quite a young, inexperienced side. It’s exciting but there will be some learning along the way.

“We’ve had some experienced players leave over the winter. Last weekend we had five homegrown Academy graduates in the team. There are talented guys coming through, all keen and eager to get an opportunity.”

Warwickshire lie fifth in Division One having taken 14 points from the Sussex draw, while Durham are ninth after taking five bonus points from an eight-wicket defeat at Nottinghamshire.

Durham also have injuries to contend with – England quicks Brydon Carse and Mark Wood are both out – while David Bedingham, the Championship’s top run scorer last year, has been in South Africa playing for Western Province and may not return in time.

But Westwood, who takes his team to Chester-le-Street today (10 April) ahead of a two-hour training session, knows they will face strong opposition.

“Durham are an experienced team, lots of quality with bat and ball,” he added. “They have a good seam attack so it will be interesting to see what the conditions are like up there and what we find.

“They lost their first game at Notts so will be very keen to put that right with a win. We’ll have to be at our best.

“There are no bad teams in Division One. Every game will be a stern challenge but we’ll go there with confidence and we’ll certainly be up for it.”

Bears vs: Durham trip sees early reunion with ex-Captain Rhodes

Warwickshire hit the road for the first time in 2025 as they head north to take on Durham in Round Two of the Rothesay County Championship.

And a familiar face will await Ian Westwood’s men at Chester-le-Street: former Bears skipper Will Rhodes.

Rhodes left Edgbaston last September after seven seasons during which he lifted the Division One title and was an ever-present in First Class cricket, scoring 5,283 runs and taking 72 wickets in 91 red ball appearances.

Durham finished fifth in Division One last season with four wins and, following some shrewd acquisitions in the winter, had been tipped by many to challenge for the title in 2025.

However, their new campaign got off to a stuttering start with an eight-wicket defeat against Nottinghamshire in which Rhodes, batting at six, scored 10 and two. They will be looking to bounce back quickly against the Bears.

Another of their new signings, Emilio Gay, picked up a pair at Trent Bridge but showed his class in the top order with Northamptonshire last season when he amassed 919 runs in 10 matches at an average of 57.53.

He turns 25 during the game and Bears fans will be hoping Warwickshire spoil his celebrations on the pitch.

Bedingham run machine

Nobody scored more runs in English domestic First Class cricket last season than Durham’s David Bedingham.

The 30-year-old racked up 1,331 runs – topping the County Championship scoring charts – with a whopping average of 78.29.

Bedingham has spent the last two months in his native South Africa playing for Western Province and missed last weekend’s fixture. It remains to be seen if he’ll return in time for the Bears’ visit.

Even if he misses out, there is no shortage of firepower in Durham’s top order.

Colin Ackerman (pic above) blasted two centuries (116 and 124) in the defeat at Trent Bridge, while England opener Alex Lees got off the mark with a 50 in the first innings.

Three Durham bowlers topped 30 wickets in 2024: seamers Matt Potts and Ben Raine, plus spinner Callum Parkinson.

Potts – who’s taken 46 wickets in 19 England appearances – opened his account for 2025 with five wickets last weekend.

England Test Captain Ben Stokes is not expected to feature while fellow international quicks Mark Wood and Brydon Carse are also sidelined with knee and toe injuries, respectively.

2024 recap

The game (11-14 April) marks Warwickshire’s first County Championship trip to Durham in almost two years.

The two sides met just once last season – again in Round Two – at Edgbaston when Bears accumulated their second highest ever First Class score of 698/3d in a high scoring draw.

Skipper Alex Davies hit 256, Rob Yates 191…and a certain Will Rhodes was unbeaten on 178.