County Championship: David Bedingham hits ton as Durham dominate Worcestershire

Six of David Bedingham's 13 first-class career centuries have come for Durham

David Bedingham pressed his international credentials with a brilliant century on day one of Durham's County Championship Division Two clash against Worcestershire.

Bedingham declared his intention before the start of this season to play for his home nation South Africa rather than await his availability for an England call.

He duly delivered a timely reminder of his quality with a sublime innings of 118 after Alex Lees provided the platform with 70 at the top of the order, allowing Durham to post 363-7.

Ben Gibbon and Adam Finch were the pick of the Worcestershire bowlers, preventing the hosts from building a dominant position by taking timely wickets.

Gibbon ended the day with 4-75, including the scalp of Bedingham in the final hour.

After being inserted, Durham opener Lees survived two inside edges before settle into a rhythm with Michael Jones.

Back-to-back maidens forced a mistake from Jones to hand Finch the breakthrough. But Adam Finch continued to run in from the Lumley End and his effort ball ended a difficult 58-ball stay for Durham captain Scott Borthwick, who looked rusty following his return from a finger injury.

England opener Lees was not at his fluent best but displayed much-needed resilience before Gibbon found the gap between bat and pad and removed his middle stump.

Bedingham then ensured that Durham capitalised on their position of strength, surging to his fifty at almost a run-a-ball.

The South African was in pristine touch and pressed on toward three figures after taking 15 runs from Finch's 14th over, including a brilliant pull into the pavilion to register his first six of the day.

Bedingham notched his 14th first-class century with a gentle nudge into the leg side but, after a brief rain break, Gibbon returned with the new ball to prise out Bedingham, ending a fifth-wicket stand of 113 with Graham Clark.

That then became three wickets in seven deliveries when Gibbon and Joe Leach remove Jonathan Bushnell and Clark before Ben Raine and Paul Coughlin stemmed the tide with an unbroken 55-run stand.

Match report supplied by the ECB Reporters' Network.