County Championship: Durham bat out most of the day to draw against Derbyshire

Liam Trevaskis batted for almost two hours for his 19 not out

Durham battled their way to a nervy draw against Derbyshire at Seat Unique Riverside in a result that failed to improve either side's hopes of joining the County Championship Division Two promotion battle.

After declaring on 398-8 and a lead of 385, Derbyshire made a strong push to secure their third win of the season, reducing the home side to 150-6 after the tea break courtesy of two wickets apiece from Anuj Dal and Sam Conners.

However, debutant Tom Mackintosh and Liam Trevaskis put forward a resilient stand of 49 to halt the visitors' victory charge.

Trevaskis then saw his side over the line alongside Stanley McAlindon to secure a draw for the hosts, with both teams taking 13 points from the match.

Entering day four in a commanding position, Derbyshire put their foot on the accelerator in the first hour to push towards the 400-run mark and a lead of 385.

Hilton Cartwright led the way with 11 boundaries in his innings of 71 from 83 balls, recording a first first-class half-century for Derbyshire in the process.

The visitors ran into a wall in their initial burst at Durham before lunch in the form of Alex Lees. The left-hander showed aggression to lead the hosts to 64 without loss, blunting the effect of the new ball which had been vital in the previous three innings of the match.

However, the interval knocked Durham out off their stride and Dal's medium pace proved to be the undoing of Lees with a delivery that kept low, removing his off-stump for 41.

Dal then dismissed Michael Jones for 23 before Scott Borthwick got a grubber from Conners to hand Derbyshire a glimmer of hope of forcing a victory on a flat deck in the final two sessions.

Those hopes appeared to fade when Nic Maddinson and David Bedingham looked comfortable at the crease, establishing a partnership worth 41 to put the contest on course for a stalemate.

However, the home side opened the door for Derbyshire minutes before the tea break.

Maddinson played a needless sweep across the line to fall lbw to Alex Thomson for 30, while Bedingham was then run out by Conners attempting a quick-single with Trevaskis.

Ben Raine continued the procession after tea, playing a loose clip off his legs behind to Brook Guest as Conners continued his impressive day.

Durham required resilience from their lower order and for the second time in the match it came from debutant Mackintosh.

The 19-year-old was surrounded by Derbyshire fielders in front of the wicket but he and Trevaskis rebuffed their attempt to force the victory, defying the visitors with a stand of 49 for the seventh wicket.

Toby Pettman prised out Mackintosh for a hard-fought 28 to leave the home side with a tense final 9.3 overs to see out.

However, even the introduction of the new ball was not enough in the closing overs as Durham held out for the draw.

Report supplied by the ECB Reporters Network.

Durham coach James Franklin:

"It ended up being a very nervy last session but it was probably a fair outcome over the four days. The pendulum swayed a little bit towards Derbyshire when they got quick runs.

"Unfortunately we lost those five wickets through the middle session.. Then it was a case of getting through that final session and thankfully we did.

"In that last session we showed some great character and resilience, firstly Liam Trevaskis and Ben Raine. Then Tom Mackintosh and Stanley McAlindon. For two young guys to go out there and soak up that pressure showed great character and is promising for their futures. I was chuffed for Tom to come in and get a half century on his first-class debut."

Derbyshire coach Micky Arthur:

"We just fell a little bit short, but our effort was outstanding. It went according to plan because we wanted a couple of overs with the second new ball.

"In hindsight we could have used a bit more, but once bitten after our experience against Sussex. We couldn't have done anything more.

"Irrespective of the result, this has been the fifth game when we've been in command on the final day. We've got over the line on a couple of occasions. We've been calling the shots and that for me is progress."