Durham v Somerset: Day three tea

Sep 15 2010 By James Beckett

RUEL Brathwaite took three wickets as Durham mopped up the Somerset tail in a rain-interrupted afternoon session on day three of their final County Championship Division One game of the season.

But with Somerset gaining maximum batting points the hosts have a big task to rescue anything from the match going in to the final four sessions.

The session started with a chance for glory for Ben Harmison. But After taking two wickets in the last two balls before lunch the fast bowler couldn’t claim his hat-trick as James Hildreth comfortably let the ball run through.

The Somerset man was proving to be a real thorn in Durham’s side and was ably supported Alfonso Thomas as the visitors quickly moved past the 350 mark to claim their seventh bonus point.

It was Hildreth doing most of the scoring though and two impressive fours have summarised an important knock from the 26 year-old.

Perhaps fortunately for Durham rain stopped play just as Hildreth seemed to be opening up with some more expansive shots.

But if anything the 30 minute delay only encouraged the visitors to up the tempo further as Hidreth moved in to the nineties with another excellent four on the hook.

Durham’s bowlers were looking frustrated but even more frustrating was the weather. A sudden downpour had players walking off the field only to see the shower quickly pass.

The rain was doing little to disrupt Hildreth’s momentum though as he brought up his century with another four pulled through mid-wicket.

Brathwaite was beginning to cause some problems for the Somerset but they soon moved past the 400 mark becoming the first team to take maximum batting points from Chester-le-Street this season.

In the following over Brathwaite did get his wicket as Hildreth played on to send leg stump tumbling away. It was just reward for a good spell from the fast bowler who is vying to win a permanent deal with Durham.

But Hildreth’s hard-fought 105 gave Thomas and Murali Kartik the freedom to play some shots - something they did with the typical boldness of tail-enders.

Brathwaite however had other ideas as he picked up his second wicket, bowling Thomas for 26 with the help of a thick inside edge.

With his very next ball he ended Somerset’s innings. Kartik attempted one big shot too many and was caught in the deep by Ian Blackwell in the deep.

But with Durham still trailing by 140 runs and with several shaky batting performances recently, to the end the season on a positive note they will have to up their game.

Read Thursday's Journal for a full report of the day's play.