On the opening day of Durham’s Vitality County Championship match against Essex at the Seat Unique Riverside, Colin Ackermann scored his first century for the home team.
The former Leicestershire captain, who made 112 in 294 minutes, was incredibly patient and laid the foundation for his team’s 358 all out. The Essex openers ended the day on five without losing after navigating the final two overs of the day with ease.
On a pitch that encouraged quick runs, the visiting bowlers did a good job of sticking to their assignment. With Tom Westley on paternity leave, Sam Cook captained Essex for the first time. He took 3 for 60 while Jamie Porter took 3 for 57.
If Yorkshire loanee wicketkeeper Harry Duke hadn’t dropped Ollie Robinson on 26 and Ackermann on 90 after the latter put down a sharp chance off Matt Critchley, Essex would have likely had a much better day. In the event, David Bedingham and Robinson each scored fifty, with Robinson’s fifty-nine marking his fifth straight half-century in first class this year.
However, Durham’s day got off to a terrible start as they lost both of their openers by single figures in the first thirty minutes of action. To Duke’s right, Scott Borthwick edged Porter wide, but the wicketkeeper made an incredible one-handed catch. Alex Lees was declared caught by Duke off Cook in the following over, but the former England batsman seemed shocked by the ruling.
When Durham was bowled by a magnificent ball from Porter that angled in before straightening to beat a blameless forward-defensive shot, he was down 11 for 2, but the next hour’s play belonged largely to Bedingham, who hit seven fours and a six in reaching a fifty off 47 balls and had made 52 of the 73 runs in his second-wicket partnership with Ackermann.
Ackermann and Robinson, unfazed by this setback, kept up their prolific scoring, and Durham reached lunch at 129 for 3 after 29 overs.
After hitting Cook’s first two deliveries to the backward-point boundary in the afternoon session, Robinson was dropped on 26 off the third after Shane Snater dropped an easy chance at point. Despite this setback, Robinson batted with great fluency and reached his fifth consecutive half-century of the season off 48 balls after hitting 11 boundaries.
After 164 minutes of selfless concentration, and after Ackermann, who had done a great job as the anchor, reached his fifty off 117 balls, Durham’s batters continued to dominate. But just as Robinson was about to reach a century, he misplayed a routine push on the leg side off Harmer and allowed Nick Browne to make an easy catch at midwicket.
After tea, Cook brought one back to have Brydon Carse leg before wicket for eighteen. Four overs later, Harmer bowled Graham Clark for three with a classic offspinner. However, Ackermann’s steady accumulation persisted, and with a back-foot cover-drive off Harmer, he reached three figures off 199 balls. It was just his seventh limit.
Ackermann was leg before wicket by Cook just over 30 minutes later, and the visitors’ session took a turn for the better when Paul Coughlin pulled Porter straight to Browne at a shortish wide mid-on. Durham managed to get a third batting point before Snater claimed the last two wickets.
