Durham’s David Bedingham and Colin Ackermann put on a batting masterclass against Lancashire, guiding their team to a commanding position in their Vitality County Championship match at Chester-le-Street.
Bedingham, who has been in scintillating form this season, notched up his third Championship century and surpassed 1,000 first-class runs for the campaign. His unbeaten 177, coupled with Ackermann’s 111 not out, propelled Durham to a formidable 367 for 4 at the close of play.
The pair’s unbroken stand of 268 has already set a new fifth-wicket record for Durham in first-class cricket, eclipsing the previous mark of 254 set by Bedingham and Ned Eckersley against Nottinghamshire in 2021.
Lancashire, who were bowled out for 228 in their first innings, struggled to contain Durham’s batters. Ben Raine claimed 5 for 44, but the visitors failed to earn a batting bonus point for the third consecutive match.
Durham’s openers, Ben McKinney and Scott Borthwick, fell cheaply to Anderson Phillip and Tom Bailey, respectively. However, Bedingham and Alex Lees steadied the ship, taking Durham to lunch on 46 for 2.
After the break, Bedingham and Ackermann took control of the innings. They weathered two lbw decisions in quick succession, with Lees falling to Phillip for 43 and Ollie Robinson being trapped by Tom Aspinwall for 4.
Undeterred, Bedingham reached his 1,000th first-class run of the season and went on to score his sixth Championship century in just 15 innings. Ackermann also reached his century, ensuring that Durham ended the day with a commanding lead of 139 runs.
Lancashire’s bowlers toiled hard but were unable to make any further breakthroughs. Jennings’ decision to post five men in the deep proved ineffective as Bedingham and Ackermann continued to accumulate runs at a steady pace.
With the sun shining and the rain holding off, Durham supporters witnessed a batting display that has put their team in a strong position to secure a victory.
