One unusual feature of this game has been the five catches by Rikki Clarke, of Warwickshire. All of them were taken at second slip. No catch was taken at first slip, and none by the wicketkeeper. But as it turned out that was as good as it got for title-chasing Warwickshire, who missed a batting point and conceded an 80-run lead.
Another unusual feature was the way in which Stephen Harmison brought to mind the story of Lazarus. The fast bowler evidently jarred his leg in awkwardly stopping a firm drive at mid-on. There followed an extended break in play before he limped from the field at a very slow pace, clutching the back of his thigh.
A hamstring tear? The end of a noble career? Strange to say, he was back within 10 minutes, and bowling.
Cramp, it transpired, was the culprit.
Meanwhile, a much less dramatic performance was bringing a steady flow of wickets. It came from Chris Rushworth, who seems to have struggled to convince the management that he is more than just an economic operator in limited-over cricket.
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On Sunday he took the first five wickets of the Nottinghamshire Outlaws to set up a decisive win. Yesterday, he started with five maidens in his first six overs, he continued to bowl with commendable control in he face of a mounting revival, and finally cleaned up with figures of 17.4-6-46-5.
Rushworth was not alone in wearing down a line-up that bats well down – even down to 11, proved in a confident last-wicket stand of 29. Ben Stokes, Jamie Harrison and Harmison himself gained key wickets in their different ways – the last-named by surprise.
That said, Jim Troughton, the captain, may well have made a key difference, had he not been sidelined with a recurrent back spasm problem. As it is, Warwickshire missed a batting point by just three runs.
Durham, on the other hand, gained for only the second time this season a first-innings innings lead. That is quite a damning indication of their struggles.
There was, too, some wayward thinking in the way Durham tackled the later stages of their own innings – in particular the response of Phil Mustard, the captain, to his side being eight wickets down. Although he had a partner, in Rushworth, who was clearly prepared to keep his end up, Mustard immediately charged the bowler, Keith Barker, heaved, and nicked into the slips.
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He can be thankful that his bowlers were, generally, more calculating and patient.
Durham v Warwickshire at Emirates Durham (second day of four): Durham, with eight second-innings wickets in hand, are 108 runs ahead of Warwickshire
Durham: First Innings (overnight 228-5)
P D Collingwood lbw b Woakes 43
J Harrison c Clarke b Barker 0
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*†P Mustard c Clarke b Barker 25
S G Borthwick c Patel b Barker 15
C Rushworth c Clarke b Woakes 1
S J Harmison not out 0
Extras (b 4, lb 15, nb 14) 33
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Total (95.1 overs) 277
Fall of wickets: 1-22, 2-23, 3-132, 4-143, 5-221, 6-228, 7-230, 8-272, 9-277.
Bowling: Barker 23-5-62-4; Woakes 24.1-3-67-4; Maddy 16-8-25-0; Wright 15-2-48-2; Milnes 9-1-38-0; Patel 8-3-18-0.
Second Innings
W R Smith lbw b Woakes 7
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M D Stoneman lbw b Barker 9
G J Muchall not out 8
J Harrison not out 4
Total (2 wkts, 11 overs) 28
Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-20.
Bowling: Woakes 6-2-16-1; Barker 4-1-11-1; Wright 1-0-1-0.
Warwickshire: First Innings
*V Chopra c Mustard b Harmison 29
I J Westwood c Collingwood b Harmison 36
W T S Porterfield c Collingwood b Stokes 5
D L Maddy b Rushworth 8
†T R Ambrose lbw b Rushworth 23
R Clarke b Rushworth 0
C R Woakes c Mustard b Harrison 29
K H D Barker b Stokes 5
T P Milnes c Muchall b Rushworth 24
J S Patel c Mustard b Rushworth 0
C J C Wright not out 21
Extras (lb 8, w 1, nb 8) 17
Total (67.4 overs) 197
Fall of wickets: 1-61, 2-74, 3-78, 4-86, 5-90, 6-133, 7-140, 8-168, 9-168.
Bowling: Harrison 16-4-34-1; Rushworth 17.4-6-46-5; Harmison 16-4-49-2; Stokes 16-4-45-2; Borthwick 2-0-15-0.
Umpires: S A Garratt and S J O’Shaughnessy.