Emilio Gay hundred sets tone as Durham show champion spirit

England opener Emilio Gay made 141 as Durham dominated the first day of the Rothesay County Championship match against Lancashire, the visitors ending on 355 for 5.

Gay's high-class century at Emirates Old Trafford was his fourth in ten Championship innings this season and it helped his side make good on their pledge not to take it easy even though the Division Two title is won.

Gay put on 114 with Ben McKinney, who made 71 and reached 1000 first-class runs for the season in the process. He then added 168 with Mayank Agarwal before being caught at a precisely placed second slip off Ben Walkden when his side were eight runs short of a second batting point.

A tough few hours for Lancashire's bowlers was eased a little when they took three wickets in the evening session, though it is doubtful whether this will assuage the pain of dropping four catches, all off Durham's highest scorers.

The shape of the day was already clear by lunch, when the visitors were 112 for 1 with McKinney unbeaten on 64. Alex Lees was caught behind off Tom Bailey for 3 in the third over of the morning but McKinney and Gay had put on an unbroken 102 by the first interval, hitting 17 boundary fours on a pitch that justified Lees' decision to bat first.

The afternoon began badly for Durham when McKinney, who had given two tough chances before he reached 50, played a horrendous flat-footed drive to a ball from Bailey and was caught behind by Hurst. That wicket fell in the fourth over of the session and ended a 114-run stand for the second wicket but, as was the case in the morning's play, an early wicket was a prelude to Durham's domination.

Gay was joined by Agarwal, who announced himself by pulling Mitch Stanley for a four and a six off successive balls. Gay reached his century off 156 balls when he stroked Noman Ali through midwicket and collected his 14th four. Agarwal brought up his fifty off 101 balls just before tea by which time Durham were 247 for two and the third-wicket pair had nearly doubled the score and put on 123.

The batters continued to bat serenely in the evening session and it was a surprise when Gay guided Walkden straight to Harris. But that wicket began a fine spell for Lancashire, whose left-arm spinner, Noman Ali, took the next two wickets. Hassan Adnan judged that Colin Ackermann had edged a catch to Hurst on 6 but there was no doubt about the skyer to Josh Bohannon at cover that saw the departure of Agarwal for 66.

Those wickets left Durham on 306 for 5 but Ollie Robinson and Kasey Aldridge had steered their side to a third bonus point at the close. Noman finished the day with figures of 2 for 110 at the close.