Ackermann and Robinson’s contrasting innings underpin Durham

Essex 5 for 0 trail Durham 358 (Ackermann 112, Robinson 90, Bedingham 52, Porter 3-57, Cook 3-60)

Colin Ackermann made his first century for Durham as the home side shared the spoils with Essex on the first day of their Vitality County Championship match at the Seat Unique Riverside.

The former Leicestershire skipper showed exemplary patience in making 112, a 294-minute innings that formed the bedrock of his side’s 358 all out. The Essex openers safely negotiated the last two overs of the day to finish on five without loss.

The visiting bowlers stuck to their task well on a pitch that encouraged fast scoring. Sam Cook, captaining Essex for the first time with Tom Westley on paternity leave, took 3 for 60 and Jamie Porter, 3 for 57.

Essex would probably have enjoyed a much better day had they not dropped Ollie Robinson on 26 and Ackermann on 90, when the Yorkshire loanee wicketkeeper Harry Duke put down a sharp chance off Matt Critchley. As it was, both David Bedingham and Robinson made fifties with the latter’s 90 being his fifth consecutive first-class half-century this season.

But the day started badly for Durham, who lost both openers for single figures inside the first half-hour of play. Scott Borthwick edged Porter wide to Duke’s right but the wicketkeeper took a superb one-handed catch. Next over, Alex Lees was adjudged caught by Duke off Cook but the ex-England batter appeared astonished by the decision.

Those dismissals left Durham poorly placed on 11 for 2 but the next hour’s play belonged largely to Bedingham, who hit seven fours and a six in reaching a fifty off 47 balls and had made 52 of the 73 runs in his second-wicket partnership with Ackermann when he was bowled by a magnificent ball from Porter which angled in before straightening to beat a blameless forward-defensive shot.

Undaunted by this reverse, Ackermann and Robinson continued to score freely and Durham reached lunch on 129 for 3 after 29 overs.

Robinson began the afternoon session by hitting Cook’s first two deliveries to the backward-point boundary but he was then dropped on 26 off the third when Shane Snater put down a straightforward chance at point, Undeterred, Robinson drove the last ball of the over to the cover boundary and continued to bat with fluency, reaching his fifth consecutive half-century of the season off 48 balls, having hit 11 boundaries.

The dominance of Durham’s batters was maintained when Ackermann, who had played the anchor role admirably, reached his fifty off 117 balls and after 164 minutes of selfless concentration. However, just when a century beckoned for Robinson, he misjudged a routine push on the leg side off Harmer, gave a simple catch to Nick Browne at midwicket.

Four overs later, Harmer bowled Graham Clark for 3 with a classic offspinner and four overs after tea, Cook brought one back to have Brydon Carse leg before wicket for 18. But Ackermann’s patient accumulation continued and he reached three figures off 199 balls with a back-foot cover-drive off Harmer. It was only his seventh boundary.

Just over half an hour later, Ackermann fell to the new ball when Cook had him leg before wicket and the session improved for the visitors when Paul Coughlin pulled Porter straight to Browne at a shortish wide mid-on and departed for 30. Snater took the final two wickets to fall but not before Durham had collected a third batting point.