Gurney strikes Durham amidships

Nottinghamshire 129 for 2 (Libby 51*, Lumb 68*) trail Durham 244 (Gurney 6-61) by 115 runs
Scorecard

The first six-wicket haul of Harry Gurney's first-class career lifted struggling Nottinghamshire's woes in their Specsavers County Championship match against Durham at Chester-le-Street.

The left-arm seamer finished with six for 61 as Durham lost nine wickets in the afternoon session to be all out for 244.

Durham quickly reduced Nottinghamshire to 16 for two, but Michael Lumb survived a streaky start to take them to 129 for 2 in partnership with Jake Libby.

On a pitch which appeared to encourage attacking cricket, Durham chose to bat and raced to 77 without loss after 14 overs. At that point 33 had come off the previous three, with Keaton Jennings taking 15 off Gurney's second over, including a six carved over backward point.

Mark Stoneman drove Imran Tahir for six over long-on, but with both batsmen on 33 the fun ended when Jennings was lbw on the front foot to a ball from Gurney which swung from outside leg stump.

Tahir, on for the 12th over, conceded 37 in eight as Stoneman progressed to 49 and Durham were 115 for 1 at lunch.

The rot set in from the second ball on the resumption as Scott Borthwick chased a wide one from Gurney and was caught behind. Stoneman departed with extreme reluctance in the next over, when he tried to clip a Steve Mullaney swinger to leg and was adjudged to have tickled it to Read, who was standing up to the medium pacer.

Four wickets had gone down for six runs when two more fell on 121. Jack Burnham pushed forward and edged Gurney behind then Michael Richardson was lbw third ball after surviving a close call off the first.

Durham's plight took a fresh twist when Paul Collingwood was struck amidships by Gurney and went down as though poleaxed. He retired on seven but returned with a runner when two more wickets had fallen and remained unbeaten on 33, the final 12 runs of the innings coming from his two driven sixes off Samit Patel.

The left-arm spinner had two for none after two overs as Ireland duo Stuart Poynter and Barry McCarthy surrendered. Poynter played well for 42, only to shoulder arms to one which went straight on, then McCarthy swung across the line and was also bowled.

With Jennings in charge of Durham as Collingwood stayed off the field, Nottinghamshire's reply got off to a rocky start when Graham Onions got one to lift sharply off a length to have Mullaney caught behind.

Tom Moores edged Chris Rushworth to second slip and Lumb survived two edges in the same over. One just evaded gully, the other dropped fractionally short of third slip's right hand.

On six he looked fortunate not to be lbw to a ball from Onions which struck him on the back leg. But he continued the day's stroke-playing theme as a combination of edges and middled shots took him to 50 off 61 balls.

He was on 68 at the close with Libby having made a more composed 51, completing an 86-ball half-century by clipping the penultimate delivery through square leg off Rushworth for his third four.