Hosein hits half-century ahead of big final day

Harvey Hosein’s fourth-consecutive half-century helped to set up a huge final day of the LV= County Championship fixture against Durham. 

After losing Wayne Madsen (76) in the second over of the day, an 83-run partnership between Hosein and Brooke Guest frustrated the hosts, before a six-wicket haul from Chris Rushworth saw Derbyshire bowled out for 267, still 208 runs short of Durham’s first innings total.

Durham declared on 175-2, setting Derbyshire a target of 384, which would be a club-record chase, while Luis Reece and Tom Wood saw them through to the close without losing a wicket.

Unbeaten fifties from Alex Lees and David Bedingham led Durham to declare with a lead of 383 runs and five overs remaining in the day. Derbyshire resumed on 148 for five still trailing by 327 runs, though their position was soon weakened when Paul Coughlin drew a leading edge out of Madsen, the Derbyshire skipper unable to add to his overnight score of 76.

The home side were halted though as Hosein and Guest dug in, the pair putting on 83 runs together before Guest edged behind trying to pull Rushworth for 37.  The wicket was Rushworth’s 518th first class wicket and also gave the Durham veteran his 27th five-wicket haul.

Despite the loss of his partner, Hosein continued his defiant knock as he brought up his fourth consecutive first class fifty with a solid punch back down the ground for four.

Fynn Hudson-Prentice had dug in well until Matt Salisbury took the new ball and re-arranged the Derbyshire man’s stumps, the lower-order batsman going for 12.

Sam Connors came and went as he tamely lobbed a catch to Alex Lees to give Rushworth his sixth of the innings. Salisbury finished off the Derbyshire innings as he found Hosein’s edge to leave Derbyshire 267 all out, trailing by 208 runs.

Young had looked solid at the crease as Durham got their second innings underway, only for the New Zealand opener to chop onto his own stumps off the bowling of Hudson-Prentice for 21.

Matt Critchley took the second wicket of the innings, trapping Borthwick lbw for 15 as he looked to accelerate but 78 not out from Lees and Bedingham’s quick fire fifty set up the declaration with a 383 run lead.

Despite a couple of uncomfortable moments for Reece and Wood, the Derbyshire openers survived the five over session to reach stumps without loss.

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