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County Championship round-up
Durham and Notts race home
Cricinfo staff
August 24, 2006
Division One
Kent collapsed twice in a day as Nottinghamshire boosted their hopes of avoiding relegation with an innings-and-85-run win at Trent Bridge. Ryan Sidebottom took nine wickets in the match as Kent lost 18 wickets on the third day. David Fulton went early, without adding to his 57, and it was downhill in Kent's first innings from there on, despite Matthew Walker's 65. Sidebottom took four and Mark Ealham three wickets and Kent were asked to follow on. Their second innings was even worse, as Sidebottom took four of the first five to fall. Geraint Jones had a miserable match - out twice for 4, and Nottinghamshire claimed the extra half hour to finish the match. Andy Harris and Charlie Shreck did the mopping up job.
An unbeaten 101 for Durham opener Jimmy Maher secured his side a seven-wicket victory over Warwickshire at the Chester-le-Street. Neil Killeen crippled Warwickshire in their second innings with 5 for 29, his best figures of the season, and broke the key stand of 96 between Jonathan Trott and Alex Loudon. Lee Daggett struck two early blows as Durham chased 196, but Maher's 101 came from 126 balls and he crunched 14 fours in the process. Ben Harmison (61 not out) enhanced his reputation with his second half-century of the match as Durham eased home with a day to spare
Division Two
The captains kept Northamptonshire's match against Leicestershire, at Northampton, alive as David Sales declared one his team had four batting points and Darren Robinson agreed not to enforce the follow-on. Leicestershire ended their first innings overnight, and Northants started well with an opening stand of 109 between Stephen Peters and Chris Rogers. Peters converted the start into his second Championship ton of the season before become one of three victims for Claude Henderson. But runs continued to come at a pace as Sales smashes six sixes in his 67 and Bilal Shafayat chipped in with an unbeaten fifty before Sales declared, 162 behind. Monty Panesar claimed a late wicket, but Leicestershire will aim to bat until about lunch time on the final day.
Somerset demolished Gloucestershire twice in a day Taunton as they surged to an innings-and-76-run victory. There was little hint of the carnage to follow as Gloucestershire moved to 106 for 1 in their first innings, but when Richard Johnson shifted Hamish Marshall the clatter began. Charl Willoughby ran through the batting with a career-best 7 for 44, nine wickets fallingt for 55 runs. Following on, Gloucestershire fared no better as they subsided to 97 for 7. Willoughby and Andrew Caddick did the early damage before Richard Johnson nipped in to wrap up the match by claiming his first five-wicket haul of the summer.
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