Durham v Northamptonshire: Scores and match report

Match Scores (Riverside)

Durham 1st inns: 166 (Richardson 27; Buck 6-34)

Durham 2nd inns: 376 (Steel 128, Collingwood 54, Pringle 47*, Cook 42; Azharullah 5-72)

Northants 1st inns: 338 (Holden 124, Cobb 96, Rossington 65; Coughlin 5-49, McCarthy 3-128, Collingwood 2-32)

Northants 2nd inns: 205-8 (Newton 54, Wakely 84; Coughlin 5-84, McCarthy 2-61)

Northamptonshire won by two wickets

Day four report

Durham succumbed to their second final-over defeat in a row as Nathan Buck and Ben Sanderson scampered a bye off the penultimate ball to secure a dramatic win for Northamptonshire.

With the floodlights on for the last 10 overs and steady rain falling in the final 10 minutes, Northants reached their victory target of 205 with one ball and two wickets to spare in a thrilling finish at Chester-le-Street.

Paul Coughlin had given Durham an unlikely hope of victory with two wickets in the final over to finish with match figures of 10 for 133 but was on the losing side in this Specsavers County Championship encounter.

It was a fourth loss from five matches for Durham, who were beaten by Glamorgan in the final over last week, and remain cut adrift at the bottom of the Division Two standings.

Northants were indebted to a fine innings of 84 from skipper Alex Wakely, while Rob Newton contributed 54, in a century stand that tilted the balance of the contest in their favour.

After rain ensured no play was possible until 3:05pm, the visitors resumed on 44 for one needing a further 161 for victory.

Wakely and Newton cut the deficit by more than a third in the 35 minutes before tea by adding 56 in nine overs, but more rain delayed the resumption until 5pm.

When play did get back under way, Newton wasted no time settling into his stride by cutting then pulling Gavin Main for two fours to reach his half-century before miscuing Coughlin to deep mid-on to end a second-wicket stand of 123.

Wakely, who had started the day on 18 and raced to a 58-ball half-century before the break, continued to score at the required rate and had the target down to 47 when he was narrowly run out attempting a second run to deep point.

Rob Keogh skied a return catch to Coughlin and Rory Kleinveldt holed out at long-off off Barry McCarthy, who was denied a second wicket when, with 26 needed off four overs, Josh Cobb was dropped at long-on by Michael Richardson.

The last ball of the over soared over the same fielder for six but Coughlin had Adam Rossington caught behind before Cobb was caught at third man to set up a grandstand finish.

Buck was unable to connect with the next ball but and new man Sanderson scrambled through for a single to complete victory for Northants in gloomy conditions.

Day three report

A maiden first-class century by Cameron Steel kept Durham afloat against Northamptonshire on the third day of their Specsavers County Championship match at Chester-le-Street. 

Staring down the barrel when variable bounce in the first hour saw them lose nnings.

That left Northamptonshire needing 205 to win and they lost first innings century-maker Max Holden to the third ball of their run chase when he edged Paul Coughlin to second slip.

Keaton Jennings, who dropped Holden there on Saturday, held on comfortably, but Rob Newton and Alex Wakely took the visitors to 44 for one at the close - needing another 161 runs for victory on the final day.

That outcome might have been a lot closer had it not been for the efforts of Steel. The 21-year-old, whose previous best score was 80, was on 94 when Northamptonshire turned to the occasional left-arm spin of Chesney Hughes and his first ball, a juicy full toss, was whacked over long-on for six.

The second 50 in Steel's 166-ball hundred came off only 63 deliveries and a second six followed off another Hughes full toss before the batsman knuckled down against the second new ball.

The ball was in its 19th over when Steel was finally out, lbw for 128 attempting a whip to leg off Azharullah, who took all of Durham's final four wickets.

Durham were still 74 runs adrift of making Northamptonshire bat again with six wickets standing when Steel was joined by Paul Collingwood, but after being dropped by Hughes at slip on nought the skipper contributed 54 to a stand of 143.

He was unable to cash in on a stroke of fortune on 50 when a ball from Rory Kleinveldt nipped back and brushed the off stump. Collingwood started to walk before realising the bail, although slightly dislodged, had not come off.

After Steel's exit Durham still looked like pushing on to a bigger lead as Ryan Pringle and Coughlin began to play shots against the flagging attack.

Holden took over behind the stumps when Adam Rossington suffered a hand injury and the substitute fielder, Richard Gleeson, ran in 10 yards before diving forward to catch Coughlin at deep backward square.

Pringle, who hit eight fours, was left stranded on 47 when Stuart Poynter edged an airy drive to second slip and Gavin Main was pinned lbw by Azharullah, who finished with five for 72. 

Day two report

Max Holden's maiden century in only his sixth first-class game left Durham kicking themselves for dropping him twice early on the second day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Northamptonshire.

Once the England Under 19 captain, on loan from Middlesex, had departed for a stoic 124, Northamptonshire lost all their last three wickets on 338 and in 22 overs Durham reached 78 for one in their second innings, trailing by 94.

Paul Coughlin's manful efforts to carry the depleted Durham attack earned him a maiden five-wicket haul. He had five for 49 in 27 overs, while fellow seamers Barry McCarthy and Gavin Main went at almost five an over.

Resuming on 19, Holden survived scares from the day's first and seventh balls. After a confident lbw appeal from McCarthy he edged Coughlin at comfortable height to second slip, where Keaton Jennings spilled it.

Then on 27 another straightforward catch was missed by Graham Clark at point off McCarthy, but Holden knuckled down and spent 140 balls over his first 50.

With conditions far more benign than on the first day, Durham were made to pay a heavy price for their lapses and three more chances went down as Holden put on 98 for the fifth wicket with Adam Rossington and 162 for the fifth with Josh Cobb.

Rossington hit nine fours in his 59-ball 50 before dabbing wide of off stump at McCarthy to edge to second slip and depart for 65.

He paved the way for Cobb to take advantage of Durham's toils with some belligerent strokes in making 96 off 133 balls. He hit 11 fours and a six before edging to second slip during a probing new ball spell from Coughlin.

Holden, becalmed on 85, had exasperated Paul Collingwood, who troubled the left-hander with away swingers. And it was one of those which finally found the edge to give Stuart Poynter his fourth catch, ending the youngster's 286-ball vigil.

The importance of his innings was underlined by Northants losing their last five wickets for 11 runs.

With much less assistance than on the first day, the visiting seamers could make little impression, although Ben Sanderson had a big lbw appeal against Stephen Cook.

Badly in need of runs before joining the South African Test squad, Cook was dropped by Rory Kleinveldt at third slip on 16 off Nathan Buck.

After digging in to reach 23 he took a fancy to Rob Keogh's off spin, taking 11 off his first over, only to see Jennings stumped for 27 off Keogh's ninth ball when he tried to paddle him to fine leg and lifted his back foot.

It was a bit of a brainstorm from Jennings with only four overs left, but McCarthy survived as nightwatchman and Cook was on 39 at the close. 

Day one report

Nathan Buck continued the excellent start to his Northamptonshire career by taking a career-best six for 34 as wickets tumbled in the Specsavers County Championship Division Two match at Chester-le-Street.

Durham, still on minus 24 points at the foot of the table, were dismissed for 166 but then had Northants rocking on 28 for three before Max Holden and Chesney Hughes steered them to 59 for three at the close.

At 26, Buck is starting to fulfil his undoubted potential with his third county and is the joint second-highest wicket-taker in division two with 27.

It was inevitable that Northants would bowl when play began at 1.10pm following rain. Heavy cloud persisted for most of the day, and the tinge of green in the pitch could hardly have been intended to suit a home attack missing five seamers.

Paul Coughlin and Irishman Barry McCarthy opened the bowling for Durham, with 22-year-old Scot Gavin Main in support, making his second championship appearance three years after the first.

Northants' four seamers maintained a probing accuracy on a day when 13 wickets fell - nine of them to edged catches.

The visitors had five slips in place at one stage.The going was always tough, but the Durham openers put on 30 before Stephen Cook's disappointing form continued with an edge to second slip off Rory Kleinveldt.

Buck struck with his seventh ball, which lifted and left Keaton Jennings for a catch behind. Buck bagged two of the three lbws and the only catch in front of the wicket completed his second successive five-for when extra bounce found the shoulder of McCarthy's bat and the ball lobbed to mid-off.

With 24 overs to bat, Northants lost Rob Newton in the third over, when Coughlin's pace produced a flying edge to first slip.

Alex Wakely and Rob Keogh were both strangled down the leg side off McCarthy, although Keogh's was more of an authentic glance, brilliantly pouched by the diving Stuart Poynter.

Ex-Derbyshire man Hughes, given his chance by the absence of Ben Duckett and the concussed Richard Levi, looked as confident as any batsman in his unbeaten 16.

Bad light ended play with eight overs still to bowl at 6.40pm.