Rothesay County Championship, Division Two, Cinch County Ground, Northampton (day three)

Durham 205 & 246-7: Lees 80; Procter 2-31

Northamptonshire 263: Sales 69; Potts 4-49

Durham (3 pts) lead Northants (4 pts) by 188 runs

Match scorecard

Northamptonshire captain Luke Procter struck twice in two balls, including the wicket of Ben Stokes, to drag Northamptonshire firmly back into contention against fellow promotion challengers Durham.

Durham lost three wickets at the end of an absorbing, hard-fought third day of this County Championship Division Two match at Wantage Road to take a 188-run lead into stumps.

After skipper Alex Lees made 80, Stokes (37) and Mayank Agarwal (48) had combined in a fifth-wicket partnership of 89 in almost 24 overs as Durham started to build a sizable lead.

But with just six overs remaining, Procter returned to claim his 200th first-class wicket when he trapped Stokes lbw and then picked up Colin Ackermann first ball. Agarwal then fell just before the close of play, Yuzi Chahal and Calvin Harrison both taking two wickets on a pitch offering prodigious turn.

In the morning, Northamptonshire secured a handy first-innings lead of 58 before they were bowled out for 263, Lewis McManus finishing unbeaten on 29. Matthew Potts claimed the final three wickets to finish with figures of 4-49, while Stokes took 3-58.

Earlier, resuming on 225-7 after a delayed start due to rain, Northamptonshire soon lost Louis Kimber when he shouldered arms to Potts and was bowled.

McManus and Ben Sanderson, though, counterattacked, adding 36 for the ninth wicket as they earned their side a precious batting bonus point. McManus square-drove Stokes for four while Sanderson struck a pacy full delivery from Potts down the ground, before Potts wrapped up the innings in the space of two balls. First Sanderson hit low to mid-off, while Chahal was done for pace and bowled.

Ben McKinney played a few lusty blows but never looked entirely settled, troubled by both the spinners and Ben Sanderson’s away movement. Lees meanwhile looked more composed, driving both Procter and Chahal through the covers.

Durham had almost wiped out the deficit when McKinney misjudged the length and went back to one that spun sharply from Harrison and was bowled off the final ball before lunch.

After the interval, as Northamptonshire rotated their spinners, Durham played watchfully with Lees and Will Rhodes marking a stand of 64 in 24 overs.

Lees though did take on Chahal, driving through cover and striking him for a straight six into the upper tier of the Spencer Pavilion.

Amid a series of confident lbw appeals from Harrison, the leg-spinner instead effected the breakthrough with a sharp bit of fielding at backward point as Rhodes was run out for 27.

Dangerman David Bedingham could only add five to his first-innings 81 before he was trapped plumb lbw by Chahal. The India international then removed Lees just before tea with one that drifted away before spinning back to hit middle stump.

Both sides went toe-to-toe after tea with neither able to dominate for the first 90 minutes. Chahal had a strong lbw shout turned down against Stokes before Agarwal pulled him through midwicket.

Stokes smashed Sanderson straight to bring up the 150 and reverse swept Chahal behind square. But for the most part, the experienced Northants bowling pair kept the Durham batters honest and were largely treated with respect in return.

Agarwal got one away through the covers off Nathan McSweeney, but the Australian found sharp turn and bounce to trouble Stokes as Northants persisted with spin.

Stokes broke the tension by reverse sweeping Harrison square for four before Procter’s double-strike. After he trapped Stokes lbw, Ackermann was caught at slip before Agarwal was adjudged caught by George Bartlett at short-leg off Harrison, although replays suggested the ball had come off pad, not bat.

Report supplied by ECB Reporters’ Network, supported by Rothesay.