County Championship: Durham stay in control against Leicestershire on rain-hit day two

The covers came on shortly after lunch at Chester-le-Street

Durham batter David Bedingham passed 1,000 runs for the season before team-mates Ben Raine and Vishwa Fernando ran through Leicestershire's top order on a rain-shortened second day of their County Championship match.

Division Two champions Durham pushed the tempo early as they looked to secure maximum batting points and declare with Storm Agnes threatening to ruin prospects of play in the afternoon.

Bedingham passed his landmark and went on to make 156 as Durham declared on 457-8 in Chester-le-Street before Raine and Fernando took over.

Raine dismissed the visitors' top four in the hour before lunch, with Fernando picking up his first two wickets for Durham before rain arrived at 13:45 BST.

Play was eventually called for the day at 15:40 with Leicestershire 96-6.

Durham continued their title celebrations on day two with Bedingham steering them to a position of great strength with glorious shots as he raced to his milestone.

Jonathan Bushnell tried to follow suit but skied Josh Hull to Sam Evans at cover for 19 before Tom Scriven cleaned up Bedingham as Leicestershire picked up their second bowling point.

Paul Coughlin and Raine saw Durham to maximum batting points for the eighth time this season before Coughlin's wicket brought the declaration, leaving Leicestershire just over an hour to bat before lunch.

They made a slow but steady start until Raine got into his groove, removing Rishi Patel's off stump, before bowling Evans, pinning Umar Amin and Louis Kimber lbw first ball in the same over in a remarkable spell of bowling as the clouds and lights came into play.

Leicestershire returned after lunch to grey clouds and full lights illuminating the ground as the hosts zoned in on the stumps.

Fernando picked up his maiden wicket in Durham colours as Harry Swindells chopped on to leave Leicestershire in real trouble at 74-5.

The Sri Lankan international then picked up Lewis Hill lbw three balls later for 25 as the wickets continued to tumble.

Scriven and Ben Cox started to show signs of a mini partnership, flashing shots away to the boundary as they attempted to drag Leicestershire out of a hole.

The rain that threatened to wipe out most of the afternoon started to arrive at 13:45 and the umpires took the players from the field five minutes later.

Report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network.