Recent Match Report – Durham vs Leics 2023

Leicestershire 422 (Ackermann 146, Mulder 56, Raine 4-114) and 259 8 (Handscomb 136*, Raine 4-55) drew Durham 517 6 December and 343 4 December (Lees 145, Bedingham 145)

The Australian wicketkeeper-batter finished with 136 not out, his second hundred for County, before bad light finally got the last word Leicestershire 259 8 with 10 overs left in the match.

Durham feel the elements denied them, but Leicestershire had battled for 20 overs at eight, mainly against spinners Matt Parkinson and Liam Trevask, with fielders around the bat, Handscomb controlling the batting so well that ninth wicket partner Ed Barnes faced just 43 balls in 71 minutes.

Earlier, Durham had declared at 343 for 4 after Alex Lees (145) and David Bedingham (145 not out) had shared a 243-run stand from the third wicket, allowing themselves 89 overs for 10 wickets and Leicestershire a theoretical 439 for victory. .

Ben Raine finished with 4 for 55, including two wickets in his first four deliveries, with Matthew Potts and Parkinson picking up two each. Their efforts were ultimately in vain, but a 13-point win from the match extends their lead to 36.

Durham’s run chase requirements were met when 47 balls were added to the 28-ball total for the night before the declaration.

Lees could only add seven to his 138 before he was caught in the deep by the batting Callum Parkinson, who also bowled slow left-armer Liam Trevaskis for seven. Bedingham was the biggest contributor in this entertaining slog, plundering 33 off 16 balls.

Some Durham supporters complained that the batting had used up valuable bowling time, but this pitch had produced runs at more than 4.5 per over over the first three days and skipper Scott Borthwick would have been aware that Leicestershire were chasing 389 at 4.56. beat Yorkshire at Headingley in April.

In that case, Leicestershire’s chance of victory was almost immediately dashed by Raine catching Sol Budinger at a swing he perhaps should have left, and Hill’s dismissal to slip the first ball he had to bowl. Rishi Patel had fallen with a short midwife from Raine’s first delivery.

In the seventh over, Leicestershire were 23 for 3 when Patel had hit two boundaries in Raine’s over, before being caught in the deep back of the top-edge hook as he went for another.

Handscomb and Colin Ackermann added 61 without further loss before lunch, although the latter had enjoyed a lucky 31 when Bedingham dropped an edge at second slip, again past Raine.

Ackermann was dismissed shortly after lunch by Potts when Leicestershire’s first-innings centurion drove loosely off his body to slot Ollie Robinson through on the inside edge.

Much rest now fell to Handscomb, who hit a half-century off 73 balls, and South African Wiaan Mulder to keep the Durham bowlers out of the long tail.

Their cause was helped by a stoppage due to poor light and light rain, which took eight overs from the game, but fell back again when they returned after early tea to lose Mulder, caught – a decision he clearly disagreed with – and a new man. Tom Scriven was caught at second slip in successive overs as Raine took his fourth wicket and Potts, despite needing treatment on the field for an apparent neck problem.

When Matt Parkinson started the attack to dismiss Chris Wright caught at slip with his fourth ball, Leicestershire were 181 for 7. It should have been 187 for 8 in the leg spinner’s next over, but Callum Parkinson got away with the chance at short leg. .

It was only a brief reprieve though, with Callum assessing the foot before the front foot in his brother’s next set. Matt had dismissed him in this way in the twins’ only previous first-class meeting at Grace Road in 2019, where, coincidentally, Callum had also caught Matt’s leg earlier.

With 26 overs to go, Leicestershire were now desperate for the weather to intervene, but as the threat receded, Handscomb was forced to protect his two remaining partners.

The Australian picked up the boundaries with relative ease as he completed his second county hundred in the 14th over, although he was run out on 110 when Liam Trevaskis’ leading edge flew just beyond Borthwick’s reach at short-wicket and survived a confident appeal to be left behind just before the light turned off for the last time.