da doce： John Ward reports from Chester-le-Street on the second day of the County Championship match between Durham and Yorkshire
John Ward at Chester-le-Street15-May-2008Durham 406 (Di Venuto 184, Wiseman 60, Bresnan 4-73) and 16 for 0 lead Yorkshire 194 (Rashid 70, Onions 5-75) by 228 runs
Scorecard
Graham Onions: turned in a superb display of pace bowling © PA Sport
Perhaps Graham Onions took it as a personal insult to be omitted from England’sTest match line-up. It certainly appeared so at the Riverside Ground, as heturned in a superb display of pace bowling to destroy Yorkshire’s top-orderbatting, taking 5 for 75 and putting his team in line for a big victory. At the close, Durham led by 228 runs after bowling Yorkshire out for 194.The scorecard will show the leading Yorkshire wickets shared between Onions andSteve Harmison, but it was the younger man who really did the job. Harmisonput his first five balls fast down the leg side and was quite unable to find aconsistent line to Yorkshire’s numerous left-handers; in a one-day match hewould have been a total liability, but in the first-class game he was able toget away with it, as his extra pace made it difficult for the batsmen to get abat on those beyond their pads. Yet he produced the occasional ripper,turning his very inconsistency into a virtue on this occasion. Batting againsthim was a little like playing Russian roulette.It was Onions’ 12-over opening spell (11 on the trot after lunch) thatwas brutally incisive and he turned in a spell worthy of any internationalbowler. He was quick and mean, moving the ball disconcertingly, mainly awayfrom the left-handers. Neil McKenzie at first slip received three chances in 20 minutes immediately after lunch; he missed the first, Adam Lyth off Onions,but held on to the next two, one removing Lyth from a ball that Harmisonsuddenly put on the spot, and the other off Onions to send back the otheropening batsman, Joe Sayers.Yorkshire added to their own problems when Anthony McGrath chanced a quick single into the leg side, only to be brilliantly run out by a direct hit from substitute Will Gidman. Andrew Gale flattered briefly only to deceive, caught at second slip off another Onions peach, while Gerard Brophy threw his wicket away with a wild slash, the only wicket Onions did not really earn. Next ball at the other end Jacques Rudolph drew the straight one from Harmison and edged to the keeper; Yorkshire’s top six had gone for 50.Adil Rashid and Tim Bresnan have shown Yorkshire grit with the bat before andthey did so again now, seeing Onions off and steadily building a stand.Bresnan took the initiative early on, taking most of the bowling and scoring thebulk of the runs, but Rashid gradually found his confidence and played some goodstrokes.When Onions returned for a second spell, the batsmen launched into him with finespirit for several overs, until the bowler, pride stung, suddenly produced a snorter which ripped out Bresnan’s middle stump.Rashid found unexpected support from Deon Kruis, who mixed solid defence withoccasional judicious hits; at one stage he launched Paul Wiseman high overmidwicket for six. They added 55 for the ninth wicket, with Rashid running tohis fifty off 88 balls. Then both fell in successive balls, Kruis (22) caught inthe slips off Mark Davies and Rashid (70), slogging as he did several times late on, caught at the wicket off Harmison.Durham surprised most people by declining to enforce the follow-on. With Michael Di Venuto having hurt a finger in the field, Ben Harmison opened, and saw out the day with Mark Stoneman.The day began with Di Venuto, in sight of a double-century, being trapped lbw by Bresnan off the second delivery. This was Yorkshire’s only success for a while, as Wiseman, who finished with a dogged but invaluable 60, and Onions showed great determination to build on their total, no matter how long it required, in the face of quality seam bowling by Darren Gough and Bresnan.It took Yorkshire almost until lunch to dismiss Durham for 406. Kruis came on to claim the last two wickets, but the most credit belonged to Bresnan, who enjoyed a good all-round day despite the tribulations of his team. He rarely looked threatening in the way Onions did, but he did a good, sound, accurate job in the traditional county way, finishing with 4 for 73. Yorkshire are sure to need more from him before the match is over.