First day of four: Lancs (196 & 23-1) lead Durham (158) by 61 runs
PAUL RIDGWAY and Neil Killeen, two seamers seemingly lost in a competitive world, produced first-class bests yesterday on a sporting Riverside pitch which joined the list of ``bad boys'' after more than 15 wickets fell on the opening day.
Overall, Ridgway and the Lancashire lads had the better of the 20 wickets which fell, gaining a first-innings lead of 38 after they had lunched at 134 for eight. By the end, despite the in-form John Crawley falling cheaply for a second time, the second-placed county had increased their lead to 61.
To complete an eventful day - which finished at 6.50pm when bad light stopped play some six overs early - Durham were shorn of Nick Speak, the former Lancashire batsman, who pulled a groin muscle when acrobatically catching Warren Hegg in the morning session.
Afterwards, umpires Barry Dudleston and Ray Julian said they would not be recommending action against Durham for providing a sub-standard pitch. ``It was bad batting, simple as that,'' Dudleston said. He then pointed out that more than 350 runs had been scored in the day.
Lancashire owed their marginal superiority largely to a ninth-wicket stand of 67 between Ridgway and Wasim Akram. Ridgway, 20, who had not recorded a first-class run before this game, made a valuable 35. More importantly, he occupied the crease for 96 minutes allowing his captain to revive the Lancashire innings through a hard-hitting 68, which included 13 fours.
Wasim, who elected to bat on a sunny morning, continued on the attack when Durham replied, removing the first three batsmen in a burst of 12 balls which cost only one run for the departure of John Morris, Jimmy Daley and David Boon.
Ridgway took over after tea when Wasim was recuperating following treatment for a persistent toe injury. The right-arm seamer from Settle dismissed Paul Collingwood and debutant wicketkeeper Andrew Pratt in successive balls and added a third four overs later when John Wood was caught at slip. The remainder of the Durham tail fell meekly to Glen Chapple, who also collected three wickets.
This clatter of wickets spoiled the limelight, firstly for Killeen, whose fiery morning spell produced four for 34 off 11 overs, and later Jon Lewis, the opening bat, who finished undefeated on 70 in the Durham innings.
For Killeen, 22, it was a rare opportunity to live up to a nickname of ``Killer'' as this was his first championship game since May 1997 when he took six wickets in the match against Essex. Since then he has fallen out of favour and was only rescued from second-team life through injuries to Simon Brown, Melvyn Betts and Steve Harmison.
Killeen's scalps included the prized wicket of Crawley, who like Neil Fairbrother, was bowled. For Fairbrother, it was a second successive ``golden'' duck while Crawley had scored four centuries in his last six championship knocks.
Day 2: Wasim holds sway on and off the field
By Rob Wildman at Riverside
Second day of four: Durham (158) need 473 runs to beat Lancashire (196 & 434)
BY Wasim Akram's playing standards, yesterday was a relatively low-key one, but he still made his presence felt on and off a stage which saw spectators buffeted by a fierce wind and taking cover when he joined Graham Lloyd in a post-tea onslaught.
Before Wasim and Lloyd finished off a demoralised Durham attack by carving 128 runs in 21 overs, Lancashire officials had confirmed the Pakistani would not be returning next season, because he wants to concentrate on World Cup commitments.
Thus the search has begun to replace Wasim for next summer, though Dav Whatmore, the Lancashire coach, hopes he could be available for 2000. After a decade of service, Wasim is the most popular and successful overseas player at Old Trafford since the days of Clive Lloyd some 20 years ago.
His buccaneering approach was never better demonstrated than in this match which featured 68 and three wickets on the first day. Yesterday his ability to brighten dull passages was highlighted when Lancashire turned their slender lead of 61 at the start into one of complete dominance.
The unfortunate initial victim in Wasim's 63 off 77 balls was Jason Searle, a spin bowler gaining his first championship opportunity in three years.
Wasim started by driving Searle for four and then dispatched him for two straight sixes, the second smashing the headlights of the car belonging to John Gwynne, the long-serving Lancashire radio reporter.
Wasim had earlier rebuffed the chance to expand on his future, fearing the subject would damage the morale of a team chasing the treble of championship, NatWest Trophy and AXA League.
Nothing would delight Wasim more than to lead Lancashire to a first championship since the shared title of 1950. His hopes were sustained by events yesterday which were in contrast to Thursday, when 20 wickets fell and players talked about the startling invariable bounce.
Lancashire lost eight wickets in taking an overnight score of 23 for one to 434 all out. The easing pitch and friendly attack helped to improve the form of Neil Fairbrother and Lloyd, both contributing centuries.
Fairbrother came in having suffered two golden ducks in successive innings. After surviving a leg before appeal to John Wood from his first ball, the left-hander dominated a third-wicket stand of 172 alongside Nathan Wood.
Wood became an increasing bystander, scoring only 25 in the morning session, as Fairbrother lunched on 97 from 95 balls, failing gallantly to farm the bowling in the closing minutes to complete his century before the break.
Fairbrother fell for 138 from 153 balls when failing to power Paul Collingwood over mid-wicket. Those statistics were topped by Lloyd, whose first century of the summer, came off 79 deliveries.
Lloyd soon afterwards holed out to Searle at mid-on for 104 and the luckless off-spinner had the last laugh on Wasim too, gaining his wicket when the Lancashire captain went for another straight six.
Day 3:County Championship: Durham blinded by swing and pace
By Rob Wildman at Riverside
Third day of four: Lancs (196 & 434) bt Durham (158 & 122) by 350 runs
DURHAM must have hoped that the owner of a Toyota Lexus, whose vehicle stopped play for eight minutes before lunch because the glinting windscreen was upsetting the batsmen, had disappeared for the day.
Unfortunately for Durham, a certain Mr John Barnes was located and the former England footballer moved his car to allow Lancashire to conclude a convincing victory which keeps them second in the championship.
Newcastle FC use the adjoining sports ground for training and the array of expensive cars gives Riverside spectators a popular diversion when events fall flat on the cricket side.
There was nothing uneventful about this rapid match, concluded soon after lunch on the third day, when Durham went from 98 for four at the interval to 122 for nine. With Nick Speak still nursing a groin strain from his heroic dive to catch former colleague Warren Hegg in the first innings, the home county were down and out.
Once again Wasim Akram, the Lancashire captain, proved the inspirational figure. The all-rounder, whose 68 rescued Lancashire on Wednesday, started the day by dismissing Jon Lewis with the third delivery. The opener made a resolute, unbeaten 70 in the first innings, but this time he was trapped defenceless to the swing and pace.
Glen Chapple joined in next over by bowling John Morris and when Wasim skittled Jimmy Daley in the 11th over Durham were facing a fifth defeat - all inside three days - from seven matches. After lunch the pair concluded the match, including a tortuous over of pace from Wasim at Jason Searle.
Wasim and Chapple took four wickets each while the other one went to Paul Ridgway.
The Lancashire cricket committee will discuss on Tuesday an overseas replacement for Wasim, who has decided to concentrate on World Cup duties next season. But Jack Simmons, the club chairman, said he was personally not worried if they did not contract one.