Matthew Potts starred as Durham’s bowlers blew away Kent’s batting line-up on a rain-affected second day of their Rothesay County Championship clash.
It was Durham’s day as Potts and Kemar Roach picked up three wickets apiece to restrict Kent to 197 all out, a first innings deficit of 138 for the visitors, despite the best efforts of Sam Northeast who fell six short of a century on his return to the county.
Kent’s bowlers struck back with a couple of early wickets, but Durham reasserted their dominance in their second innings and finished the day on 83 for two, leading by 221.
Resuming on 50 for two under gloomy skies at Chester-le-Street, Kent pair Tawanda Muyeye and Northeast had a challenging opening period to see out.
Northeast hit the first ball of the day through third region to the boundary and he picked up another as he cut a Potts short ball for four.
Ben Raine then picked up his first scalp of the season, pinning Muyeye in front of his stumps to get him LBW for 10.
Daniel Bell-Drummond then fell for a four-ball duck, as he edged Raine to Kasey Aldridge in the slips, which handed Raine his 300th First Class wicket for Durham.
A third wicket fell in quick succession, as the impressive Potts found a bit of extra bounce and Joey Evison feathered one through to Ollie Robinson for two.
Northeast plundered a Roach delivery down the ground for four and he then reached a fifty on his Kent return, with it coming from 94 balls.
However, his support cast kept on tumbling with Chris Benjamin departing for 19 to hand Aldridge a maiden First Class wicket for Durham after he drove one straight to Raine at cover.
The players then went off as the rain came, with it halting Durham’s charge for wickets, much to the relief of Kent, and an early lunch was taken.
The players returned under the lights for the afternoon session, and Kent will have wished the rain stayed as Aldridge sent Grant Stewart’s middle stump flying for one straight after the break.
Durham had a chance to snatch an eighth wicket as Potts forced an outside edge from Matt Milnes, but Emilio Gay dropped one at second slip.
Bad light then intervened for a short period, but they were back out quickly and Potts got his third as Milnes was caught behind for eight.
Keith Dudgeon joined Northeast at the crease and helped Kent avoid the follow-on, and the latter played a beautiful shot off his legs that went to the boundary.
However, Dudgeon’s cameo of 22 came to an end at the hands of Roach, as he was caught behind, with Robinson producing an excellent diving effort after the South African edged a delivery.
Northeast’s defiance continued as he moved into the 90’s, but Roach got his third as Northeast’s excellent knock came to an end, with the West Indies international picking up the final wicket when the Kent man edged behind to Robinson for 94.
The rain then returned just as Durham were about to start their second innings with a 138 first innings lead, but they resumed after an early tea.
Alex Lees and Ben McKinney started Durham’s innings and Glenton Stuurman removed the Durham man for six, as he found the opener’s off-stump.
First innings centurion Gay then fell for 11, as he clipped a Dudgeon ball to Muyeye at leg slip who made no mistake with the catch.
McKinney, who initially found life difficult against Stuurman and Dudgeon, started to find his groove, with a couple of lovely shots through the offside.
Durham’s lead passed 200 as McKinney and David Bedingham looked to be positive at the crease.
Play then came to an abrupt halt due to bad light, with Durham 83 for two, a lead of 221.
Kent’s Sam Northeast said:”It’s good to be back, but I’d like to be in a stronger position in this game, but we’ve got a bit of work to be done to get back in this game and hopefully we’ll have a chance to win it on day four.”
“You need a bit of luck on surfaces like that, and with the light as well, it was tricky. The lights were on for most of the day and it’s definitely favourable conditions for the bowlers.”
“We’re hoping that the pitch is probably going to flatten out a bit as it goes on with the heavy rollers because it’s been bowler friendly the first two days. We’ve got a good batting line-up that can chase anything really.”
Durham’s Ben Raine said: “We were over the moon with how we bowled. We felt when they bowled our feedback was they hadn’t quite hit the right areas. We had a nice blueprint from that so we knew what we had to do.”
“The pitch here has played differently from what we’ve been used to. There’s been a lot more carry so it’s nice as a bowler to attack the outside edge, we haven’t had that in the last few years.”
(on reaching 300 Durham First Class wickets) “I didn’t know, to be honest with you. I went upstairs and everyone was shaking my hand, I didn’t think I was that good to be honest with you so it came as a bit of a surprise. It’s not something I track, it is nice though and it was really nice that the lads congratulated me.”