Ryan Pringle fell just short of a century as Durham recovered from 65-5 to post a competitive total on the first day against Hampshire at the Emirates ICG. Durham were all out for 213 with Pringle making a career-best 99, though the home side struggled against the bowling of Ryan McLaren in the morning session despite winning the toss and electing to bat.
McLaren took figures of 4-60, with Gareth Berg and Fidel Edwards adding three wickets each before Hampshire closed the day on 77-3 in reply. Graham Onions’ three wickets left the visitors at 47-3, but a steady partnership ensured Will Smith and Liam Dawson will restart 136 runs behind Durham’s total and seven wickets to play with.
After he made a half-century on debut against Yorkshire, Durham handed an opening spot to 18-year-old Jack Burnham. The England U19 international managed just four runs before edging a McLaren delivery for Hampshire’s first wicket of the morning.
The opening pair made 15; meaning Durham’s first wicket stand has reached 50 just once in the last ten innings. And despite having elected to bat, the home side were soon two down when Mark Stoneman missed a delivery that kept low from Edwards.
McLaren’s economical bowling was troubling the Durham batsmen, and the South African took the wickets of Paul Collingwood and Michael Richardson to bring the home side to 59-4. Meanwhile, Scott Borthwick made every attempt to anchor the Durham innings before falling just ahead of lunch. He lasted 91 balls against a Hampshire attack who had their tails up, until eventually seeing his defences breached by Berg.
Hampshire, looking for a second successive win in the County Championship to lift them off the bottom of the table, came up against a more stubborn resistance from the hosts after the lunch break. A partnership of 69 between Pringle and Gordon Muchall guided Durham, who themselves were looking over their shoulders after five games without a win, to 134-5 before Muchall became Berg’s second victim of the day.
Pringle continued to frustrate Hampshire, eventually passing his career best score of 69 despite have little support from his teammates at the other end. Berg and Edwards added to their wicket tally before Pringle eventually fell one short of a maiden first-class century, but not before the all-rounder helped his side to a batting point. McLaren took the final wicket of Rushworth to end with figures of 4-60, with Durham reaching 213.
Hampshire got off to a poor start in response as Jimmy Adams lost his off stump to the bowling of Onions with four runs on the board. The former England seamer could easily have had a second soon after, but Muchall couldn’t hold onto a catch from James Vince in the slips two balls later.
The visitors continued steadily but Onions was in a wicket-taking mood, and put Muchall’s drop behind him by removing Vince for 9. Carberry followed him back to the pavilion in Onion’s next over to leave Hampshire 47-3.
His current figures of 3-32 sees him pass 50 wickets for the season, though Dawson and Smith – the latter facing his former club – added 30 to close the day in a strong position on 77-3.
