Essex v Durham
Second XI County Championship
Woolpit Cricket Club
Team News:
Essex: Paul Walter (c), Feroze Khushi, Michael Pepper, Robin Das, Josh Rymell, Luc Benkenstein, Will Buttleman (wk), Ben Allison, Aaron Beard, Jamal Richards, Eshun Kalley, Alex Gosling.
Durham: Harry Crawshaw, Ben McKinney (c), Ross Whitfield, Bas de Leede, Liam Trevaskis, Tomas Mackintosh (wk), Mitchell Killeen, George Drissell, Stanley McAlindon, Oliver Gibson, Brandon Glover, Daniel Hogg.
Match Details:
Umpires: James Tredwell and Neil Bainton
Toss: Durham won the toss and elected to bat
Result: Durham won by 271 runs
Scorecard: View Here
Durham: 186 & 439
Essex: 190 and 164
Match Report:
Essex were beaten by a strong Durham side as they got the Second XI County Championship campaign underway in the picturesque surroundings of Woolpit Cricket Club.
The bowlers dominated proceedings with fifteen wickets falling on an action-packed opening day.
Ben Allison provided the small crowd with an eye-catching performance. The bowler claimed six Durham wickets for 41 runs from his thirteen overs, which included a triple-wicket maiden as the visitors lost their last eight batters for just 41 runs.
Aaron Beard chipped in with 2/51 as Durham were dismissed for 186. Skipper, Ben McKinney top scored with 81 off 90 balls before he became Allison’s sixth victim.
Durham’s Brandon Glover and Daniel Hogg kept the bowling trend in line, with exceptional figures of 4/25 and 4/16, respectively. However, Essex managed to forge a narrow first innings lead thanks to half-centuries from Will Buttleman and Ben Allison.
Buttleman scored 50 off 128 balls, while Allison’s 53 came from 103 balls and included six 4s.
But the game swiftly turned the way of the visitors, thanks to some excellent batting performances. Liam Trevaskis top-scored for Durham with 75, while Michael Killeen (66), Harry Crawshaw (64) and George Drissell (59) carried Durham to a mammoth 439 and a sizable lead of 376. Luc Benkenstein was the pick of the Essex attack, returning figures of 5/66.
The chase was always going to be a huge task for Essex, and so it proved. Killeen’s incredible nine-and-a-half overs yielded seven Essex wickets for just 20 runs as the home side were dismissed for 164.
Benkenstein followed up his impressive bowling performance by top scoring with 69 off 90 balls. However, with those around him falling relatively cheaply, Durham’s victory was confirmed with plenty to spare.
