Imperious Leicestershire make life tough for Durham

Leicestershire 301 for 4 (Carberry 73, Horton 75, Cosgrove 66*) vs Durham
Scorecard

Leicestershire have made an imperious start to their Specsavers County Championship Division Two clash against Durham posting 301 for 4 on day one, punishing Paul Collingwood for inserting the visitors at Emirates Riverside.

Michael Carberry, Paul Horton and Mark Cosgrove all made fifties as the home side's bowlers toiled on a flat pitch, leaving them with a huge task ahead of them to get back into the contest.

The toss was contested and Collingwood opted to send the visitors into bat, despite the bright sunshine at the Emirates Riverside. Carberry and Horton were watchful at the crease in the early stages of the innings to see off the threat of the new ball. Once Chris Rushworth and Nathan Rimmington were removed from the attack, boundaries flowed off the bowling of Barry McCarthy and James Weighell as Leicestershire coasted into lunch at 80 for 0.

Horton remained composed after the break and notched his fifty off 114 deliveries - his second on the bounce in the County Championship. The visitors eased past the 100-run mark before Carberry reached his half-century as he guided a shot down to the boundary, reaching the milestone slightly quicker than his partner in 97 balls.

The opening partnership of 146 was broken when Horton played a loose cut off the bowling of Nathan Rimmington, drilling the ball straight to Cameron Steel at point for 75. Carberry followed for 73 when he was adjudged lbw to Barry McCarthy in a tight call. Colin Ackermann found the boundary with regularity, notching five fours and six, and was looking comfortable at the crease as Leicestershire passed 200.

However, the South African fell one delivery shy of the tea break when he edged behind a delivery from James Weighell for 36. Mark Cosgrove found his feet and was able to compound his side's advantage, blunting Durham's attempts to break back into the contest. McCarthy notched his second breakthrough of the game when he snagged Ned Eckersley lbw for nine.

Cosgrove remained composed and reached his fifty with a boundary, nudging a McCarthy delivery through gully. The Australian's half-century was the quickest of the lot, taking only 80 balls, with nine boundaries in his innings.

Durham took the new ball with the hope of making further inroads, but the attempts of Rushworth and Rimmington were in vain as pitch continued to offer little assistance. Cosgrove and Lewis Hill continued to put runs on the board and they took Leicestershire's total beyond 300 in the final over the day, with the Aussie unbeaten on 66.