Durham 148 for Eight (Borthwick 100, Harmer Four-41) lead Essex 96 (Rushworth Three-13, Carse Three-37) by 52 runs
It is honest to imagine that Durham have been just a little bit pumped for this one. 5 lengthy years in the past, on the finish of the 2016 season, these two golf equipment swapped locations within the first and second divisions, and with it, their locations within the nationwide pecking order. Essex, promoted as champions, duly launched into their run of three first-class titles out of 4, whereas Durham’s financially-imposed relegation introduced a punitive finish to their very own indeniable golden age – between 2008 and 2013, that they had racked up every of their three Championship titles, with three additional one-day titles within the house of eight years.
And so, like a heavyweight title that had modified palms with none punches being thrown, there was one thing additional at stake at Chelmsford, within the two counties’ first first-class assembly since September 2010 – a bygone period, when Durham themselves had been the two-times reigning champions, and when Essex’s failure to drive victory on the ultimate day successfully opened the trapdoor to their very own relegation.
By the shut of a bruising opening day, the 2 combatants had punched one another mindless – 18 wickets falling all instructed, in a sea-change from the circumstances on this similar floor final week, when 21 had been grudgingly handed over in the middle of 4 full days. And although Essex have been the aspect ending with a surge within the semi-darkness, with 4 wickets falling for as many runs earlier than the shut, it was the performances of the 2 Durham survivors from that earlier encounter 11 years in the past who had hoisted their aspect into the ascendancy.
Scott Borthwick and Chris Rushworth have had contrasting experiences since that determined relegation season. The previous headed south to Surrey, in quest of the brand new beginnings which may earn him an opportunity so as to add to that solitary Check cap, handed out in such invidious circumstances on England’s whitewash Ashes tour in 2013-14. The latter held agency up north, conserving the house fires burning as he marched ever onwards in Durham’s home annals – and with an outstanding evaluation of 11-Eight-13-Three right here, he moved alongside to 512 wickets, 15 shy of Graham Onions’ all-time document.
However in a day dominated by the bowlers, no one performed a extra wonderful hand that the prodigal son Borthwick, who produced an pressing, emphatic innings of 100 from 129 balls, whereas his team-mates managed a grand whole of 48 for Eight between them. Although he was crestfallen to be dismissed within the dying overs of the day, his efforts had pushed Durham to a priceless lead of 52 by the shut, and batting final towards the chastened champions, they might but want each run of that benefit.
Borthwick cracked 15 fours in his innings, as highly effective on the sweep towards the spinners – the ever-dangerous Simon Harmer specifically – as he was swish on the drive, together with his high-elbowed crunch via the covers off Ben Allison to maneuver to 96 being absolutely the decide of the crop. One ball later, he whipped a leg-stump supply behind sq., and ripped off his helmet with glee. After scores of zero and 1 in an anticlimactic return towards Nottinghamshire final week, this was the home-from-homecoming that he had dreamed of. Whether or not it will likely be a victorious one, nonetheless, stays to be seen.
Essex gained the toss and selected to bat on the type of morning which may have given them pause for thought towards a bowling assault cast within the Arctic winds of Chester-le-Road. However then once more, having endured the tedium of Worcestershire’s solely innings in final week’s season opener, their bowlers had loads causes to go the buck on that rating, particularly given the dearth of complication with which Tom Westley had racked up 213 on the primary two days of that recreation.
It took Rushworth simply three deliveries to recommend to Essex that life wasn’t going to be fairly that placid, as Nick Browne dangled his bat uncertainly exterior off, and detonated his personal leg stump with a fats inside-edge. Three overs later, he prolonged Alastair Cook dinner’s uneasy begin to the season by thumping a well-planted knee-roll to ship him on his means for six.
On the different finish, Matt Salisbury – revisiting his roots after coming via Essex’s academy as a young person – had already scalped Westley for Four, through a flat-footed drive that betrayed his crew’s mindset, or lack thereof. Essex had parked such photographs in grinding alongside to 207 for Three on the opening day of the season, however Westley wasn’t fascinated with relaying his groundwork. He and his crew appeared in a collective hurry to get a transfer on in the present day.
That turned a slightly extra literal expertise when Brydon Carse entered the fray within the 14th over. Producing sharp tempo from the outset, his first-ball loosener had extra warmth that Paul Walter was anticipating, as he wafted an under-edged reduce onto his stumps for 7. And earlier than the over was out, Essex have been 36 for five and going through humiliation. Carse’s well-directed brief ball thumped into an upraised bat as Ryan ten Doeschate ducked for canopy, and a quick flat deflection fizzed to Ned Eckersley at third slip.
All through all of this, Dan Lawrence reduce a phlegmatic determine on the non-striker’s finish – he’d seen all of it earlier than, in slightly completely different environment, all through England’s winter exertions in Sri Lanka and India. By the point a rain flurry caused an early lunch, Lawrence was batting like a person with a unique agenda – he’d already cracked his first ball, from Rushworth, via vast long-on, and had added 4 extra cleanly struck fours to stride alongside to 32 not out, with Adam Wheater strong alongside him in a sixth-wicket rescue-stand of 38.
Straight after the break, nonetheless, Essex have been proper again within the soup. Ben Raine’s first supply of the session was dangled exterior off, for Wheater to nibble fatally to second slip for 18. Nevertheless it was Salisbury’s intercession, 11 balls later, that scuttled any hopes of a preventing whole – an outstanding supply that bit the seam on a full and tight size, lifting previous the sting of a resolute block to trim Lawrence’s bails and ship him on his means with out addition. At 74 for 7, there have been solely scraps left for Essex to battle for.
Harmer could not delay Durham’s march, as he prodded limply to slide for a duck, and Ben Allison fared little higher, as Rushworth discovered his edge too to complete with the excellent figures of three for 13 in 11 overs. Solely Sam Cook dinner discovered any significant resistance with a free-spirited innings of 15 from No.10, however the finish to his keep was savage, as Carse bend his again as soon as extra, and David Bedingham swallowed a flap off the eyebrows to slide.
Essex’s whole of 96 was their lowest at Chelmsford since 2014, and after Worcestershire had ended their 11-match house profitable streak final week, a far better ignominy awaited.
Durham’s response faltered early, as Alex Lees fell early to Sam Cook dinner, who discovered some sharp carry on the angle throughout the left-hander to prise him out for five. However Borthwick joined Will Younger in what seemed to be a game-seizing stand of 87. Between them, they surged previous Essex’s whole with a riotous acceleration from the top of the 20th over, all however doubling the rating from 46 for 1 to 98 within the house of six overs as Porter and Harmer have been battered for 9 fours between them.
However then, on 24, Younger bought too frisky towards a pointy offbreak from Harmer, and flicked a leg-glance straight into Lawrence’s lap at leg slip to interrupt each the stand, and Durham’s scorching streak. One over later, Bedingham skipped down the pitch to Harmer, looking for to maintain up the tempo, and holed out to Westley at long-on for a duck. And when Jack Burnham was skittled by a magnificence from Cook dinner, angling in and bursting spherical the sting of a full-faced block, Durhan have been 114 for Four and wobbling.
Borthwick, nonetheless, was having none of it. Two extra crunching sweeps saved up the stress on Harmer as he marched into the 90s, and some overs later he had his second of catharsis off Allison. His team-mates, nonetheless, may match neither his tempo or his endurance, as Eckersley joined the procession with a deflected lob to slide off Harmer. And with the sunshine closing in, Borthwick’s personal resistance was lastly damaged. Lawrence, into the assault for a twin-spin assault, fizzed via his defences earlier than cleansing up Carse one ball later with a ripping offbreak that despatched a transparent message about how this contest might but play out within the second innings.
At 144 for 7, it appeared we have been achieved for the day … however not so. With Prince Philip’s impending funeral inflicting the primary two days of this recreation to be prolonged, the gamers trooped again out at 7pm to complete off their allocation, and Durham’s innings was all however completed off full-stop, as Ben Raine turned Harmer’s fourth sufferer of a quietly predatory show. If that is what we have been lacking out on up to now 11 years of non-combatance, then Essex and Durham have gone a great distance in direction of making up for misplaced time.
Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket