IF Steve Harmison and Graham Onions are competing for an Ashes place, it isn’t doing Durham any harm.
Whereas Harmison’s hostility knocked the stuffing out of Warwickshire yesterday, today it was Onions who found the zest to rekindle fading victory hopes.
Warwickshire were 100 for two, only 57 behind, when Onions broke a stand of 72 by forcing Ian Bell to play on for 57, then had Jonathan Trott smartly caught at third slip by Callum Thorp.
Onions made it three wickets in three overs when he swung one in to pin left-hander Jim Troughton lbw.
Prior to this terrific burst hopes were fading as what looked likely to be a crucial spell by Harmison after lunch saw him concede 26 runs in four overs.
He returned after Onions completed his spell of three for 16 in nine overs and the Warwickshire decline continued as another good catch saw off Tim Ambrose for nine. Dale Benkenstein held on by his boot straps at gully.
Having defied the obstacles erected by a flat pitch and the second day’s rain to get into a winning position, Durham were not going to lie down meekly and Onions bowled with real fire.
He began the day by ensuring that Durham were able to enforce the follow-on, then took an early wicket in the second innings.
Needing 20 to avoid the follow-on with one wicket standing when play began, Warwickshire scored 12 of them before last man Boyd Rankin played on. The ball from Onions ran down his bat and trickled on to the stumps with just enough force to dislodge a bail.
Onions thought he had Ian Westwood caught behind off the fifth ball of the second innings but had to wait until the fifth over before finding the edge of Tony Frost’s bat for Phil Mustard to take the catch.
Onions’ first two balls to Bell were also beauties, zipping past the outside edge, and the batsman who is currently out of favour with England looked fortunate to survive a good shout for lbw by Thorp on 23.
Westwood made only eight before he fell to Ian Blackwell in the 17th over. Bowling over the wicket into the rough, the left-arm spinner was turning the ball sharply. While Bell could pad him away, it wasn’t so easy for the left-handed Westwood, who was caught off bat and pad at short leg by substitute Scott Borthwick.
Gareth Breese gave Blackwell a break in mid-afternoon, but was again ineffective and when Blackwell returned to bowl at left-handers Ant Botha and Neil Carter he immediately caused problems.
But they survived to reach tea with Warwickshire on 141 for six, 16 behind, with two hours still available.
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