County Championship: Bowlers dominate as Durham lead Essex on day one
- Published
Brydon Carse took three wickets, but Chris Rushworth had the greater economy conceding just 13 runs
LV= County Championship Group One, The Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford (day one): |
Essex 96: Lawrence 32; Rushworth 3-13, Carse 3-37 |
Durham 148-8: Borthwick 100, Young 24; Harmer 4-41 |
Durham (3pts) lead Essex (0 pts) by 52 runs |
Durham blew away Essex for just 96 on day one of their County Championship game before limping to 148-8 at stumps.
Chris Rushworth took three wickets in miserly fashion as Essex wilted, with only Dan Lawrence lasting more than an hour to top score with 32.
Having been dispatched before tea, Essex got an early break with the ball as Alex Lees fell after just 20 balls.
Scott Borthwick's 100 anchored Durham's reply but late wickets took the shine off an otherwise productive day.
The visitors' seam attack caused plenty of problems as they came out with intent, and the tone was set when Rushworth snared Nick Browne by wiping out his off-stump with the third ball of the day.
Brydon Carse also took three wickets, two of them in his first over, and when the rain came it was a blessing for the home side.
However, Durham were equally aggressive after the delay and five wickets at the expense of just 22 runs mopped Essex up in 42 overs for their lowest innings score against their visitors.
On a day where batsmen toiled, skipper Borthwick led by example with his century although his team-mates struggled and only Kiwi debutant Will Young offered a partnership of note with an 87 stand.
The losses of Borthwick and Carse as the light faded gave Essex hope, and Simon Harmer took his tally to four wickets by removing Ben Raine in the day's penultimate over.