GORDON Muchall sped to his seventh championship half-century of the season off only 40 balls against Yorkshire today, only to depart for 55.
Durham were 95 for four at lunch in reply 185, having also lost openers Michael Di Venuto and Will Smith, plus Dale Benkenstein, as Yorkshire served up a mixture of good and bad balls.
They seemed to reserve most of the poor ones for Muchall, who has made a habit of putting bowlers under pressure from the outset this season.
The only blemish on his record is that he has only once gone to make a big score – his 175 at Worcester.
Durham needed 20 minutes to take the one remaining Yorkshire wicket. Although Graham Onions was the more deserving bowler, it was Steve Harmison who struck when Steve Patterson shaped to drive and edged to Phil Mustard.
The last-wicket pair had put on 33 and taken up valuable time in the rain-shortened game, but Muchall was clearly determined to make up for lost time when he went to the crease after the 12th ball.
Di Venuto, who has scored 37 runs in four innings since his century at home to Somerset, had already survived a difficult chance to Adil Rashid at third slip when he edged Ajmal Shahzad to the same fielder.
Bowling in attacking style, Shahzad kept feeding Muchall’s cut and cover drive and conceded 36 runs in five overs. But he also looked unlucky not to have Smith lbw.
Smith made 13 before he fell in Steve Patterson’s first over. He pushed forward and edged to third slip, where Rashid took a fine catch low to his left.
Muchall drove Patterson through the covers for his ninth four to reach 50 then when Ryan Sidebottom returned for a second spell his first ball was glanced to the fine leg boundary.
But Muchall then fell in similar fashion to Smith, except that he edged to Adam Lyth at first slip when the ball was slanted across him.
Extra bounce from Patterson accounted for Benkenstein, who was caught behind for five, leaving Paul Collingwood unbeaten on nine at lunch.
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