Vitality County Championship Division One, Seat Unique Riverside (day four)
Durham 358 & 131-2: Lees 48*, Bedingham 33*
Essex 488: Browne 184,Khushi 107, Elgar 46; Parkinson 5-131
Durham (12pts) drew with Essex (14pts)
Essex batter Nick Browne scored his first County Championship century for more than a year and Callum Parkinson collected his maiden five-wicket haul for Durham, but a weather-affected match at the Riverside ended in a draw.
Such an outcome had always appeared probable once the third day’s play had been lost to rain, but having made 488 and taken a 130-run lead on first innings, Essex did their best to force a victory on the final afternoon.
Their efforts floundered as Alex Lees (48 not out) and David Bedingham (33 not out) steered Durham to 131-2 when bad light stopped play at 4.40pm. The teams shook hands shortly afterwards.
The most notable event of the morning session came in the fifth over of the day when Browne back-cut Ben Raine to the boundary to reach his first century in 22 Championship innings since reaching the landmark against Kent in April 2023.
After reaching lunch on 450-6, Essex looked to score quick runs in the afternoon session and lost four wickets in doing so, including two run-outs in three balls.
Browne departed for 184 when attempting a third run and failing to beat Lees’ throw from fine leg, and then Harry Duke was sent back by Simon Harmer, but Scott Borthwick’s return from midwicket was too sharp.
Parkinson then dismissed Harmer and Jamie Porter in the same over to finish with 5-131 from 31 overs in Essex’s 488 all out.
The visitors’ hopes of causing a collapse were boosted when Borthwick played across a ball from Porter and was lbw for four in the third over of Durham’s second innings.
However, Lees and Colin Ackermann put on 75 for the second wicket before Ackermann (32) was caught at slip by Jordan Cox off Matt Critchley.
