Emilio Gay and David Bedingham scored sublime unbeaten centuries in a record-breaking third-wicket partnership of 290 as Durham successfully chased 336 to beat Lancashire by eight wickets in their County Championship Division Two match.
Durham had a challenging start as they lost both openers in the morning session, but Gay and Bedingham led a recovery for the hosts as the runs started to flow before lunch.
As the ball got softer and the sun came out during the afternoon session, batting became easier for Gay and Bedingham and their partnership went from strength to strength, as they broke their side’s record for the highest third wicket stand against Lancashire.
Both made centuries and the hosts chased down an imposing target with ease as Durham reached 336-2, handing the north east county a second win of the season.
After being 124-7 in their first innings and heading for a hefty first innings deficit, the partnership cemented an excellent turnaround for the hosts, with the efforts of Matthew Potts also key to that. The victory takes them up to second, three points behind Lancashire, who remain top, but Durham have played one game fewer.
The see-saw game between the two likely promotion contenders was set for a thrilling climax on day four with Durham needing 336 runs and Lancashire needing 10 wickets for victory.
James Anderson and Tom Bailey settled into their bowling rhythm nicely early on, but Durham openers Ben McKinney and Alex Lees successfully negotiated the best part of the first hour.
Lancashire then had their first, with Lees departing after he misjudged a delivery from Mitch Stanley and left it, with it clipping the top of his stumps.
That brought Gay to the crease, who hit two boundaries in his first three balls, and he injected some impetus into Durham’s chase.
The back-and-forth nature of the contest continued as the reliable George Balderson bowled McKinnney to hand Lancashire their second wicket.
Gay hit back-to-back boundaries off Stanley as Durham started to increase the scoring rate, while Bedingham clubbed a six on the legside just before lunch.
Lancashire had a near miss just after the break as Gay edged a Bailey delivery that dropped just short of Keaton Jennings at slip. Despite that near miss, the runs kept on flowing as Bedingham managed to find a gap on the onside to pick up a boundary.
The pair then saw the target dip under 200, as Gay passed fifty for the second time this season and Bedingham followed suit shortly after with a cut past third region.
Gay then continued to motor, picking up two fours off an Anderson over, before surviving an lbw appeal off Bailey’s makeshift off-spin.
Bedingham and Gay continued to chip away, with the target dropping below 150, as Lancashire’s hopes of a third successive win dwindled away.
Gay then reached three figures with yet another boundary and took his side within 100 of the target. Bedingham then smashed one of Bailey’s off spinners for six and joined Gay in reaching three figures, the 18th time the South African has done so in first-class cricket for Durham.
Gay then passed 150 for a fourth time in a Durham shirt and Bedingham heaved the part-time spin of George Bell to the boundary.
The pair then saw out their magnificent effort to see Durham home with eight wickets and 18.1 overs to spare.
Report by ECB Reporters’ Network, supported by Rothesay.