Harry Gurney returned career-best bowling figures on the opening day of Nottinghamshire’s Specsavers County Championship match against Durham at Chester-le-Street.
The left-armer picked up six for 61 as the hosts were bowled out for 244 in 64.4 overs. Samit Patel bagged two wickets and there were also successes for Steven Mullaney and Imran Tahir.
Mark Stoneman top-scored for Durham, making 49 as he and Keaton Jennings put 77 on for the first wicket before Notts took the other nine wickets during the afternoon session.
After tea, Notts lost two early wickets before closing on 129 for two, with Michael Lumb finishing on 68 not out and Jake Libby was unbeaten on 51.
Mick Newell admitted that the afternoon’s turn of events had come as a bit of a surprise to everyone.
“I thought that the wicket didn’t appear to be doing a great deal in that first session and Durham were batting nicely,” he said.
“But then one rash shot from Scott Borthwick opened the door for us after lunch.
“Harry bowled a really nice spell and we managed to chip away, so from 115 for one you are going to take 244 all out every time.
“There were one or two poor shots and one or two good deliveries to get dismissals and then Colly (Paul Collingwood) retiring, gave us another bit of a chance as well, although he came back later. It was a bizarre 40 minutes of cricket after lunch and we’ve now got to capitalise on it.”
The director of cricket paid tribute to Harry Gurney, after the pace man recorded the first six-wicket haul of his career.
“Before lunch he bowled a good spell and got one wicket but you could never really see six coming but it was terrific how he mopped up the tail because Durham’s lower order can hang around and make it a bit awkward,” he said.
Newell then paid tribute to the third wicket pairing, that have so far put on 113 together from just 26.3 overs.
“They’ve had a very good partnership and scored at quite a quick rate,” he said. “It was a tough week for Michael (Lumb) last week against his old team but he’s totally justified the decision to play him because he has played very well.”
The Nottinghamshire side showed one change from that which had played against Yorkshire at Scarborough, with Gurney returning to the eleven in place of Brett Hutton. Michael Lumb’s appearance was the 200th of his first class career.
Luke Wood and Luke Fletcher began the bowling against the left-handed partnership of Keaton Jennings and Mark Stoneman but were unable to make any inroads in the first hour as the pair put 77 runs on the board.
Both players hit sixes, Jennings lifted Gurney over backward point and then Stoneman hit Imran Tahir’s leg spin over long on.
Gurney made the breakthrough, pinning Jennings lbw for 33, from the Finchale End. Scott Borthwick, who made a ton when the sides met at Trent Bridge in May, accompanied Stoneman through to lunch, taking the score at the break to 115 for one.
Whatever fare was laid out for the visitors certainly had wicket-taking properties as Durham collapsed to 121 for five within 2.4 overs of the restart.
The first ball of the afternoon session was fairly wide from Gurney and Borthwick (20) let it go through. The next one, almost as wide, interested the left-hander enough for him to flash at it and edge through to Chris Read.
Steven Mullaney had bowled two maidens from the Lumley End before lunch. Resuming, his first delivery was tickled down the leg side by Stoneman (49) to Read, who was standing up and held a good catch.
Gurney’s next over brought two more wickets as Jack Burnham and Michael Richardson bagged ducks. Burnham nibbled outside his off peg and gave Read his third catch in as many overs. Richardson survived a huge lbw shout from his first delivery but wasn’t so lucky two balls later. At that stage Gurney had taken three for none from eight balls.
Durham were struck a further blow as Paul Collingwood had to retire hurt on seven, after being hit amidships by Gurney.
Paul Coughlin played some elegant shots to take the sting out of the Notts charge but he became the third man to fall lbw when Tahir pinned him for 19.
Stuart Poynter also enjoyed his time with the willow and made 42 from just 53 balls. The introduction of Samit Patel accounted for him, as the gentle turn knocked back the off stump.
Collingwood returned at the fall of the seventh wicket, briefly having Jennings as his runner before sending him back to the pavilion.
Patel’s second wicket, like his first, was a clean-bowled, as Barry McCarthy heaved away at fresh air. Graham Onions helped add 36 for the ninth wicket, taking Durham to their batting point but the return of Gurney saw him off.
Onions was bowled for 19, giving the quick his fifth wicket and then Chris Rushworth edged to Mullaney at slip to close out the innings.
Collingwood, who had launched Patel for successive sixes once he had been joined by Rushworth, was unbeaten on 33.
Beginning after tea, Notts lost two wickets inside the first five overs as Mullaney (7) edged a sharply-rising delivery from Onions behind to Poysden. Tom Moores (1) followed, nicking Rushworth to the diving Borthwick at second slip.
Lumb and Libby then played beautifully in the closing 107 minutes of the day, stretching their partnership well beyond three figures.
Both players timed the ball impeccably, with Lumb reaching his 50 from 60 deliveries, with seven fours. His partner clipped Rushworth away through square leg to bring up his half century from the penultimate ball of the day, his third four from 87 balls.
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