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Alex Lees and Ollie Robinson scored contrasting centuries as Durham piled up the runs on the opening day of their County Championship clash at title rivals Essex.
Opener Lees commanded the crease in his 113, while Robinson took the bowlers on with gusto for an unbeaten 146 – both grabbing their second hundreds of the campaign – as Durham closed on 445-4.
David Bedingham missed out on a fifth three-figure Championship score on the bounce but assisted the centurians with a sublime 65, as he passed 800 Championship runs this year.
Essex’s only positive on an otherwise dispiriting day at Chelmsford was overseas debutant Eathan Bosch claiming two wickets.
Durham elected to bat first on a pitch previously used for two T20 matches, and set about their work in lively fashion.
Michael Jones returned from Scotland duty to make his first Championship appearance of the season and blazed his way to 38 at the top of the order.
His stay was ended as South Africa fast bowler Bosch struck with his second ball.
Bosch’s curtain-raising wicket maiden was followed four overs later by the scalp of Durham captain Scott Borthwick – who also edged behind to give Michael Pepper his second catch.
That made it 83-2, but from then on, the blue skies, humid weather, fast outfield and a flat pitch made Chelmsford a batting paradise.
The in-form Bedingham needed no second invitation and he looked to follow in the footsteps of Michael Hussey and Kumar Sangakkara as the only players to score five Championship tons in a row.
But he fell short when he became Pepper’s third victim, this time via Simon Harmer’s off-spin, to end a 95-run stand with Lees.
Durham powered on after Bedingham’s departure though, with Lees and Robinson – who has struck four sixes and 10 fours in his 164-ball innings so far – both reaching three figures, with
Colin Ackermann (58 not out) also among the runs, backing up Robinson towards the end of the day’s play.
Report supplied by the ECB Reporters’ Network
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