Bridge leaves Durham-Hampshire game in the balance

Durham's 20-year-old left-arm spinner Graeme Bridge bowled unchanged for 35.1 overs to take six for 84 and leave the match against Hampshire at Chester-le-Street finely balanced after two days.

In his sixth Championship match, this was Bridge's first five-wicket haul as the visitors were dismissed for 312, 11 behind.

In six overs' batting Durham reached nine without loss in their second innings.

James Brinkley removed the top four, all to edged catches, as he again bowled his away swing with good control.

After an opening stand of 58 he took three wickets in two overs to reduce Hampshire to 63 for three before Will Kendall played impressively on a ground where he has scored two centuries.

He fell one short of only his second Championship half-century of the season when he edged Brinkley to first slip, where Paul Collingwood clung on well for his third catch.

He also dived forward at short mid-wicket to catch Neil Johnson, who cruised to 27 then carelessly chipped a catch to give Bridge his first wicket just before lunch.

Adrian Aymes cut Bridge straight to slip and when Shaun Udal drove recklessly to mid on before he had scored Hampshire were struggling at 203 for seven.

Dimitri Mascarenhas played very responsibly in holding them together with an innings of 76 in 154 balls, which featured ten fours.

He drove and pulled with excellent timing and there was a bonus for Hampshire in the batting form of James Schofield, making his Championship debut.

He struck four boundaries in his 21 not out before Alex Morris was last out, edging Bridge to Andrew Pratt after hitting seven fours in making 52 off 79 balls.