Rushworth and Raine put Durham in charge as ball dominates

Durham are in a strong position after day two of their Specsavers County Championship Division Two clash against Worcestershire, holding an 87-run lead over the visitors at the Riverside.

The home side added 90 runs to their overnight total courtesy of an unbeaten innings of 78 from Ben Raine, with Ed Barnard leading the way for Worcestershire with impressive figures of 4 for 42. Durham were relentless in their bowling effort, refusing to allow the visitors to get a foothold in their innings.

Chris Rushworth led the way claiming 4 for 28, dismissing Worcestershire for 151. Durham's openers were unbeaten at the close, handing their side a solid platform to build on their innings on day three.

The hosts resumed in the morning on 122 for 6 with Raine and Ned Eckersley at the crease. The two players found their rhythm and brought up the century stand for the seventh wicket in 175 deliveries when Raine found the boundary. Eckersley continued his solid first season with Durham, notching his second half-century of the term after nudging the ball down the legside. However, he could not push on, edging a delivery from Barnard through to Riki Wessels at first slip. Brydon Carse joined Raine at the crease, who manoeuvred his way to fifty from 140 deliveries.

They were able to work Durham over the 200-run mark with another solid partnership, earning a batting bonus point in the process. Carse was to fall just before the lunch interval, edging a Ross Whiteley delivery to Daryl Mitchell at slip. Raine had made his way to 78, but was to run out of partners at the other end as Nathan Rimmington and Rushworth were dismissed in successive deliveries by Barnard, bowling the hosts out for 212.

Rushworth pegged back Worcestershire immediately in their reply, pinning Mitchell lbw on the back leg for a second-ball duck. Callum Ferguson scored 11, but Raine notched his first wicket of the innings to remove the Australian lbw. Wessels opened the innings for the first time in the Championship, and played well scoring five boundaries to reach 33, only to be bowled by the medium pace of Gareth Harte.

Joshua Dell and Whiteley steadied the ship until tea, but both players fell in quick succession as Rushworth and Carse were on point after the interval. Barnard continued the collapse leaving a delivery from Raine that cleaned up his off stump. Rimmington bottled up Brett D'Olivera and forced a mistake from the batsman, who chopped the ball onto his own stumps for two, leaving the visitors 113 for 7.

Cox and Leach offered resistance, but Rushworth produced a fine delivery to trap the former lbw for 24. He claimed his fourth wicket of the innings, notching another lbw when Leach missed a straight ball. Raine finished the innings by bowling Dillon Pennington, earning the home side a healthy first-innings lead.

Cameron Bancroft and Alex Lees were solid in their response, guiding Durham to the close unbeaten with an advantage of 87 runs over the visitors.