Lancashire's Struggles Against Durham

Ben Raine's outstanding bowling performance, taking 4 for 23 from 18 overs, put Lancashire in a precarious position on the first day of their County Championship clash against Durham at the Riverside. Raine exploited the favourable conditions, leaving Lancashire at 177 for 6 after 78 overs on a day shortened by morning rain.

Despite the difficult situation, Lancashire's day could have been far worse if not for Matty Hurst’s determined 74 and Josh Bohannon’s 49. Both batsmen fought through two tough sessions where scoring was challenging.

Raine received solid backing from Matthew Potts, who finished with 2 for 36, while Chemar Holder, making his Durham debut, had a rough start, conceding 53 runs in his eight overs without taking a wicket.

Due to persistent drizzle, play didn't start until 12:50, and Durham captain Scott Borthwick had no hesitation in opting to bowl first. Lancashire’s innings began poorly, with Raine dismissing Luke Wells, caught behind by Ollie Robinson, off the very first ball. Raine then bowled Keaton Jennings for 9 in the ninth over with a superb delivery that moved away late.

Bohannon capitalised on some loose bowling by Holder but lost his partner, Venkatesh Iyer, for 7 when the Indian allrounder edged Potts to the keeper, leaving Lancashire at 49 for 3. Hurst endured a slow start, taking 36 minutes and 26 balls to get off the mark, while Bohannon had a few close calls, edging Potts between the keeper and slip and surviving a strong appeal off Raine. However, his resistance ended at 49 when Raine induced a faint edge to Robinson for his third wicket.

At tea, Lancashire were 96 for 4, and soon after, George Bell fell for 7, pulling Potts straight to Holder at midwicket. Hurst, however, continued to battle, reaching his fourth Championship half-century off 88 balls, featuring seven boundaries and a six. George Balderson was the next to depart, edging a Raine delivery to Colin Ackermann at second slip for 10.

Hurst and Tom Hartley then steadied the innings, adding an unbeaten 39 in 25 overs to prevent further wickets before the stumps. However, Lancashire still needs 73 more runs to secure their first batting point since July 1.