Rain allows teams recovery time
No play was possible on the first day of the County Championship match between leaders Durham and Yorkshire at Chester-le-Street because of rain
18-Jun-2011
No play was possible on the first day of the County Championship match between leaders Durham and Yorkshire at Chester-le-Street because of rain.
It was a mixed blessing for both teams as the delay gave them some rest after travelling from Friends Life t20 matches last night, although neither will welcome the prospect of a draw.
With five wins from eight games, Durham are 17 points clear at the top, while Yorkshire have not won since the opening match at Worcestershire and lie seventh with 62 points. A week after his 37th birthday Durham's Dale Benkenstein needs 148 runs to break the county's record first-class tally.
Former captain Jon Lewis, now the second team coach, totalled 7,854 runs in 262 innings from the 1997-2006 seasons, while Benkenstein has scored 7,707 in 171 innings. He has hit four centuries and four half-centuries in 12 knocks this season in the County Championship, in which he has scored 856 runs at 77.72.
While Yorkshire await Tim Bresnan's return to full fitness, Durham are able to reunite Steve Harmison and Graham Onions for the first time since August 2009. They also have Liam Plunkett available for his first championship action since the win at Headingley in April.
