Batsmen make strong start at Durham
Fri 4 May 2018
SCORE | Day 1 of 4, Specsavers County Championship: Durham CCC v Leicestershire CCC
SCORECARD | Available through ESPN Cricinfo
REACTION | Michael Carberry spoke to BBC Radio Leicester’s Richard Rae at stumps
HIGHLIGHTS | In-play highlights are available throughout the 2018 season
REPORT | Paul Horton, Michael Carberry and Mark Cosgrove posted half-centuries as Leicestershire CCC ended day one in a position of strength at Emirates Riverside.
Durham CCC captain Paul Collingwood invited the Foxes to bat first and the team recorded three batting points by stumps, closing at a healthy 301 for 4 in their third Specsavers County Championship game of the season.
Horton (75) and Carberry (73) laid the foundations with a record opening stand for Leicestershire CCC against Durham CCC. Cosgrove built on them with 66 not out, sharing useful stands with Colin Ackermann (36), Ned Eckersley and Lewis Hill.
Leicestershire CCC made one change to the side that drew against Derbyshire CCC as slow left arm spinner Callum Parkinson returned to the XI for Dieter Klein.
Durham CCC, who did not name a side at Northants CCC given all four days were abandoned without a ball bowled, showed two adjustments to the XI that faced Kent CCC. They added Cameron Steel to the batting line-up while seamer Barry McCarthy was came in.
The Foxes did not choose to bowl first and although the coin toss came down in the home side’s favour, Leicestershire CCC’s batsmen were given first use of the pitch.
Durham CCC’s new ball attack of Chris Rushworth and Nathan Rimmington were accurate in the opening exchanges but Carberry and Horton recorded a 50 partnership within 17 overs. Skipper Carberry picked off anything loose on both sides of the wicket while Horton was particularly strong playing through the off-side.
Runs started to arrive more freely as the session wore on and Collingwood gave off-spinner Will Smith his first bowl after 22 overs. He bowled tidily in tandem with Rushworth but the openers moved the score to 80 without loss at lunch with Carberry on 35* and Horton 41*.
Three landmarks arrived at the start of the afternoon session; Horton recorded his second successive half-century from 114 balls with an eighth four that was driven handsomely down the ground, the stand then reached three figures, and Carberry raised his bat after guiding the 97th delivery of his innings down to third man to collect a ninth four.
Leicestershire CCC’s openers continued to play beautifully with Carberry looking particularly sharp off his pads while Horton continued to put away anything that was overpitched.
The first chance of the day resulted in a wicket in the 48th over as Horton cut a short Rimmington delivery to Steel at point. The opening alliance of 146 beat the previous best of 101 in 2004 shared by two Darrens - Robinson and Maddy - before Carberry also departed in the 70s when trapped leg before wicket by McCarthy.
Ackermann struck a quintet of fours and a maximum in an attractive innings as the first batting point was banked in the penultimate over of the second session.
But the in-form batsman was dismissed by James Weighell on the stroke of tea as a good delivery angled across the batsman from around the wicket took the outside edge on the way through to ‘keeper Stuart Poynter, County going in at 203 for 3.
Durham CCC were not able to build on that breakthrough as Cosgrove struck three boundaries in the first over of the final session. Cosgrove shared 51 with Eckersley (9) before the latter became McCarthy’s second lbw victim of the day.
Cosgrove was typically ruthless in progressing to 50 from 80 balls (9x4), flicking away any deliveries that were too straight while also using his late cut and cover drive to hugely positive effect. Hill recorded his 1,000th first-class run en route to helping Cosgrove see off 13 overs of the new ball.
TEAM | Carberry (capt), Horton, Ackermann, Cosgrove, Eckersley (wk), Dexter, Hill, Raine, Parkinson, Griffiths, Aaron.
PHOTO | Thanks to John Mallett for the photo of Michael Carberry and Paul Horton coming out to bat today.
* It's been a good start to the season for the Foxes and now is the perfect opportunity to join Team Leicestershire as a Member for the 2018 season. You can sign up for Membership online HERE
