Hameed keeps Lancashire in check against Durham

Teenager Haseeb Hameed (74) registered back-to-back half-centuries to help Lancashire build a positive response against Durham in their Specsavers County Championship match at Chester-le-Street.

Lancashire closed on 205/4 after Hameed and Alviro Petersen (61) added 104 runs for the third-wicket partnership, allowing the Red Rose to recover after they had stumbled to 21/2 in the early stages of their innings, before Hameed and Steven Croft (31*) added a further 77 runs in the evening session.

The hosts were bowled out before lunch with a healthy first-innings total on the board, with Scott Borthwick registering his first hundred of the season on Day One to put Durham in control. Skipper Paul Collingwood failed to register successive centuries for his side, falling for 97, as Durham made 411 all out.

Lancashire claimed two wickets in the space of nine balls at the start of the second day, as Tom Bailey completed the second five-wicket haul of his career to help the Red Rose in their efforts to cope in the absence of James Anderson. Overnight batsman James Weighell failed to add to his score of 14 before edging to Petersen at gully, Bailey's fifth wicket of the innings, as Durham made a shaky start after resuming on 341/6.

Kyle Jarvis (3-86) then had Brydon Carse (1) out cheaply in the next over when he edged to Liam Livingstone at first slip, as Durham lost their second wicket of the morning to falter to 342/8. With captain Paul Collingwood hoping to progress to the 33rd century of his first-class career, Durham were starting to run out of renowned batsmen, but a largely inexperienced tail-end held firm to add useful runs for the home side.

The efforts of Collingwood and Barry McCarthy kept Durham's first innings moving along nicely, although Lancashire were in danger of missing out on all three bowling bonus points. Their partnership worth 33 runs for the ninth wicket was starting to become a problem for Lancashire, until Collingwood got a thick edge to Karl Brown at gully off Jarvis, who struck his third breakthrough of the innings to secure a third bowling point for the visitors with four balls remaining in the 110th over.

A despondent Collingwood returned to the pavilion to a standing ovation after falling three runs shy of his century, but Durham's tail continued to rally, as McCarthy and Graham Onions (14*) added a further 36 runs for the final wicket. McCarthy hit three fours and two sixes in his eye-catching innings of 37 from 54 balls, helping to Durham to reach 411 before he mistimed a shot off Simon Kerrigan (2-58) to Petersen at long-on.

Lancashire survived the seven over remaining before the lunch interval, but an emphatic spell from James Weighell (2-32) after lunch put the visitors on the back foot. Weighell had Brown (9) and Luke Procter (1) both caught at third slip by Ryan Pringle in successive overs, restricting Lancashire's progress to 21/2 after 12 overs.

Youth and experience combined superbly to rescue Lancashire from this early wobble, as Hameed and Petersen added 104 runs for the third wicket either side of the tea interval to put the visitors back on track in their first innings. Petersen, who has made a strong start to the campaign in the absence of Ashwell Prince, made his third half-century of the season in 94 balls, helping Lancashire to enter tea on a positive total of 115/2 after adding 94 runs with Hameed before the interval.

The duo brought up the hundred-partnership shortly after tea, but Petersen fell in the third over after the resumption when he was trapped lbw shuffling across his stumps to Onions, handing Durham an important breakthrough at 125/3. Hameed continued to treasure his wicket, progressing to back-to-back fifties at a typically patient pace of 128 deliveries, ably assisted by captain Steven Croft, as they added 77 runs for the fourth wicket.

Hameed's fourth half-century in eight first-class appearances for Lancashire ensured that the visitors maintained a healthy position in response to Durham's score of 411, as the teenage batsman bettered the 62 who made against Hampshire last week to reach his best score of the season so far.

His four-hour stay at the crease was halted in the closing stages of the second day when he was bowled around his legs by a quicker ball from Borthwick (1-26), ending his 77-run partnership with Croft. The Lancashire captain was able to reach close of play unbeaten on 31, with nightwatchman Simon Kerrigan (2*) coming in to support him, as Lancashire close on 205/4.