Killeen's late strike gives Durham edge on Somerset

BBC News

23-05-2025

Rothesay County Championship Division One, Banks Homes Riverside (day one)Durham 277: Robinson 52, Gay 41; Henry 4-60Somerset 63-3Somerset 3pts, Durham 1ptMatch scorecard
Matt Henry took four wickets for Somerset but 20-year-old Mitch Killeen's late strike helped Durham just shade the first day of their County Championship Division One match.Despite Ollie Robinson's 52 and a half-century stand for the last wicket, the home side were dismissed for 277 in their first innings in a match between teams who possess identical records and are currently separated by a handful of bonus points in the Division One table.Having accounted for three top-order batsmen, Henry returned figures of 4-60 but Somerset were 63-3 in reply at stumps with the wicket of Tom Lammonby falling to Championship debutant Killeen for 24 just seven balls before the close.The day's cricket began in atrocious fashion for the home side when their captain, Alex Lees, inside-edged Henry's first ball onto his off stump and departed for a golden duck.Ben McKinney and Emilio Gay then repaired the home side's innings with a 65-run stand in 20 overs before McKinney was caught behind by James Rew for 30 when he played outside a ball from Josh Davey that was angled in to him from around the wicket.Gay had already been dropped on 26 at midwicket by Jack Leach off Migael Pretorius when McKinney's wicket fell but the former Northamptonshire batsman could not capitalise on his escape. Instead he was dismissed for 41 a quarter of an hour before lunch when he top-edged a pull off Henry to Tom Abell at long leg.Having seen Lewis Gregory lose the toss, Somerset's bowlers were probably satisfied with a lunch score of 96-3. And they would have been ecstatic a few minutes after the resumption when the dangerous Bedingham shuffled across his stumps, looked to work the ball to leg and was lbw to his fellow South African Pretorius for 17.Robinson responded by taking hitting three fours in four balls off Craig Overton and all this seemed to set the tone for a session in which quick runs were traded for wickets. Robinson reached his half-century off 52 balls but was caught by Rew off Henry when he nicked a ball of full length.Graham Clark made 15 in 21 minutes before snicking Josh Davey down the leg side to Rew and his departure left Durham on 185-6 in the 50th over. Colin Ackermann was bowled by Overton for 30 and, five balls later, Raine was leg before to Pretorius for 25. Tea arrived with Durham on 227-8.Five balls into the evening session, Killeen's first innings in Championship cricket ended when he was caught by first slip Lewis Gregory off Henry for a 15-ball duck but Codi Yusuf and Minto then batted as calmly and sensibly as most of the top order to take Durham to their first bonus point of the innings.Not content with adding the 23 runs necessary for that landmark to be reached, the pair put on exactly 50 before Minto, who made 67 as a nightwatchman-opener last week, was caught by Lammonby at square leg off Pretorius for 34. Yusuf was unbeaten on 16 and Pretorius finished with 3-63.Somerset's first innings also began poorly when Gregory was bowled by Minto for five when his attempt to let the ball go only diverted it into his stumps but Davey and Lammonby added 42 before Davey was caught at slip off Yusuf for 24 and Lammonby was caught behind off Minto for 18.ECB Reporters' Network supported by Rothesay