County Championship: Durham fight back against Somerset
Last updated on .From the section Counties
| LV= County Championship Division One, Emirates ICG (day two) |
| Durham 189 & 314: Hastings 79, Collingwood 58, C Overton 3-41 |
| Somerset: 225: Myburgh 61, Rushworth 4-54, Coughlin 2-43 |
| Somerset require 279 runs for victory |
| Durham 3 pts, Somerset 4 pts |
| Match scorecard |
Paul Collingwood, Paul Coughlin and John Hastings all hit half-centuries as Durham fought back against Somerset at Chester-le-Street.
Resuming the second morning on 147-4, Chris Rushworth's 4-54 helped limit the visitors to 225 all out, a lead of 36.
Durham's reply then got off to a sluggish start, slipping to 101-6.
But Collingwood struck 58, Coughlin 54 and Hastings a 67-ball 79 to drag the hosts to 314 all out and set Somerset a victory chase of 279.
Rushworth also contributed with 43 before falling to the last delivery of a day which had been dominated by the ball prior to Collingwood's counter-attacking half-century.
Somerset, who currently sit eighth in Division One with only one win from their opening five matches, began just 42 runs behind Durham's first-innings 189 and with six wickets remaining.
But Rushworth, supported by Coughlin (2-43) and Hastings (2-67), took regular wickets to keep their total in check, with Johann Myburgh (61) the only man to pass 50.
Durham then lost Keaton Jennings in the second over of their response and struggled to 101-6, only 65 ahead, to leave Somerset strong favourites to wrap up victory inside three days.
However, Collingwood's 99-ball innings came as part of a 73-run partnership with Coughlin, who then shared a further 46 with Hastings to frustrate the visiting attack.
Hastings, who has never reached three figures in first-class cricket, clobbered two sixes and nine fours to continue the revival alongside Rushworth to leave the match intriguingly poised with two days still available.
Durham's John Hastings:
"It's a pitch on which you never really feel in, so I decided to chance my arm and I was lucky enough to hit a few just out of the fielders' reach. I got into a zone where I just kept hitting the ball and finding the gaps.
"Paul Coughlin played some really nice shots and Chris Rushworth is having a stellar season with bat and ball. But we couldn't have done it without the captain, who always puts in a performance when the team needs one."
Somerset coach Matthew Maynard:
"The ball went soft and we tried to get it changed.
"When John Hastings came out so aggressively we didn't react well. If someone comes at you like that you have to stick to your task, but we changed our lengths."
