Imperious Leicestershire make life tough for Durham | Cricket

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Michael Carberry, in action for Hampshire © Getty Images

Leicestershire 301 for 4 (Carberry 73, Horton 75, Cosgrove 66*) vs Durham
Scorecard

Leicestershire have made an imperious start to their Specsavers County Championship Division Two clash against Durham posting 301 for 4 on day one, punishing Paul Collingwood for inserting the visitors at Emirates Riverside.

Michael Carberry, Paul Horton and Mark Cosgrove all made fifties as the home side's bowlers toiled on a flat pitch, leaving them with a huge task ahead of them to get back into the contest.

The toss was contested and Collingwood opted to send the visitors into bat, despite the bright sunshine at the Emirates Riverside. Carberry and Horton were watchful at the crease in the early stages of the innings to see off the threat of the new ball. Once Chris Rushworth and Nathan Rimmington were removed from the attack, boundaries flowed off the bowling of Barry McCarthy and James Weighell as Leicestershire coasted into lunch at 80 for 0.

Horton remained composed after the break and notched his fifty off 114 deliveries - his second on the bounce in the County Championship. The visitors eased past the 100-run mark before Carberry reached his half-century as he guided a shot down to the boundary, reaching the milestone slightly quicker than his partner in 97 balls.

The opening partnership of 146 was broken when Horton played a loose cut off the bowling of Nathan Rimmington, drilling the ball straight to Cameron Steel at point for 75. Carberry followed for 73 when he was adjudged lbw to Barry McCarthy in a tight call. Colin Ackermann found the boundary with regularity, notching five fours and six, and was looking comfortable at the crease as Leicestershire passed 200.

However, the South African fell one delivery shy of the tea break when he edged behind a delivery from James Weighell for 36. Mark Cosgrove found his feet and was able to compound his side's advantage, blunting Durham's attempts to break back into the contest. McCarthy notched his second breakthrough of the game when he snagged Ned Eckersley lbw for nine.

Cosgrove remained composed and reached his fifty with a boundary, nudging a McCarthy delivery through gully. The Australian's half-century was the quickest of the lot, taking only 80 balls, with nine boundaries in his innings.

Durham took the new ball with the hope of making further inroads, but the attempts of Rushworth and Rimmington were in vain as pitch continued to offer little assistance. Cosgrove and Lewis Hill continued to put runs on the board and they took Leicestershire's total beyond 300 in the final over the day, with the Aussie unbeaten on 66.

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Klein doesn't see the point - and neither do Leicestershire

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Leicestershire 381 (Horton 66, Ackermann 65, Reece 3-64) drew with Derbyshire 251 for 8 dec ( Wilson 64)
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A final day battle for bonus points ended with both Leicestershire and Derbyshire satisfied with their return from a match which saw the first seven sessions lost to the weather.

An entertaining morning's cricket saw Leicestershire add 114 to their overnight score but miss out on a fifth batting bonus point as Derbyshire picked up five wickets.

Resuming on 267-5, Neil Dexter and Ned Eckersley scored quickly in extending their sixth wicket partnership to 82, with Dexter lofting leg-spinner Matt Critchley high over extra cover for six before leaving a delivery from fellow South African Duanne Olivier that knocked his off-stump out of the ground.

Eckersley went on to his half-century, made from 121 deliveries, before pulling Ravi Rampaul hard to midwicket, where 12th man Callum Broderick held the catch at the second attempt.

Ben Raine hit eight boundaries in going to 47 from just 50 balls, and looked set to guide the Foxes to their 400 target, but a mix-up with Dieter Klein saw both batsman at the same end.

In the circumstances, Klein's refusal to step out of his ground and sacrifice his wicket was hard to understand, the more so when Gavin Griffiths and Varun Aaron were duly dismissed quickly to leave the Foxes 19 short.

Raine did his best to atone, striking twice when Derbyshire began their first innings. The right-arm seamer had left-handed opener Luis Reece leg-before without scoring with a delivery that swung back in from around the wicket, before Ben Slater edged a delivery pushed across him to wicketkeeper Eckersley.

In between, newcomer Aaron picked up his first wicket for the Foxes, when Wayne Madsen was leg before to the former India international seamer.

Griffiths won the third leg before decision of the session when Derbyshire skipper Billy Godleman was given out on the back foot, but Gary Wilson was dropped by Eckersley on just four, and Matt Critchley put down by Paul Horton at first slip, both times off the bowling off Griffiths.

Dexter bowled Alex Hughes before Critchley pulled Griffiths to midwicket where Raine took a fine low catch. Hardus Viljoen increased the run rate, hitting 43 off just 33 balls, but Wilson steered his side past 250 before a declaration with an over remaining left Leicestershire a wicket short of a third bowling point.

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