Durham beat Worcestershire by an innings at New Road

LV County Championship Division One, New Road
Durham 587-7 dec beat Worcestershire 217 & 345 by an innings and 25 runs
Durham 24pts, Worcs 3pts
Match scorecard
Live commentary

Durham took just an hour to wrap up their expected innings victory over Worcestershire at New Road.

Resuming on 271-5, needing another 100 to make Durham bat again, on-loan keeper Ben Scott led the resistance.

After losing overnight partner Gareth Andrew, who made a round 50 before holing out to a Scott Borthwick long hop, Scott went on to make 73.

But Worcestershire were bowled out for 345, to lose by an innings and 25 runs - their sixth straight defeat.

They remain rock bottom of Division One, while Durham's third win of the campaign lifts them into serious title contention.

With new signing Adrian Shankar unable to bat as he awaits a scan to determine the extent of a knee injury, Worcestershire's task of batting out the day for a draw was made all the more difficult.

Worcestershire were on 271-5, still 99 behind when play resumed on the final morning in front of a smattering of spectators.

The home side briefly threatened to hold up Durham as Andrew took on Borthwick.

He pulled a short ball into the members' car park in the second over, then went down the pitch to the young leg-spinner, driving his eighth four over mid-on.

But, having completed his second half-century of the Championship season, he hoisted the next ball straight to Ben Stokes at deep mid-wicket.

Borthwick struck again nexty ball when he held a straightforward return catch from Damien Wright but Richard Jones safely blocked the hat-trick delivery.

It was the only ball that Jones faced before he was run out by Stokes in an unnecessary and embarrassing mix-up when Scott turned down his request for a second run.

But Scott, whose batting has been one of the few bright spots in two heavy defeats since joining Worcestershire on a month's loan, hung around long enough to add to his growing reputation.

The Middlesex wicketkeeper, who had his first successful loan spell at New Road last summer, has scored 30 or more in each of his four Championship innings so far - and he lifted his aggregate to 171, with only two dismissals.

Steve Harmison's reputation counted for nothing as last man Alan Richardson supported Scott in a stand of 54.

But, in his sixth over of the day, he wrapped up victory when he had Scott was caught at third slip.