Durham 411 for 5 (Lees 62, Bedingham 134*, Robinson 102, Clark 68*) lead Glamorgan 390 (Carlson 162, Northeast 60, Miles 4-73, Raine 4-79) by 21 runs
Centuries from David Bedingham and Ollie Robinson provided the foundation of the Durham fightback on day two of their LV= Insurance County Championship Division two clash against Glamorgan.
The visitors reduced Durham to 119 for 4 to put the pressure on, but Robinson and Bedingham responded with a stand of 171 for the fifth wicket. Robinson was the more fluent of the two batters and reached his second ton of the season from just 93 balls, continuing his impressive form.
Bedingham had to work for his century but was rewarded for his effort posting his 15th first-class hundred on his way to his highest score of the campaign. The South African pressed Durham ahead of Glamorgan's first-innings total, sharing another century stand with Graham Clark to give the home side the platform to build a sizeable lead on day three.
Quite the innings from Ollie Robinson!
— LV= Insurance County Championship (@CountyChamp) June 12, 2023
The @DurhamCricket batter went to a 93 ball hundred which included 17 fours#LVCountyChamp pic.twitter.com/pgPwHFpGpO
Glamorgan enjoyed a promising start to day two by making made inroads into the Durham line-up. Nightwatch Stanley McAlindon failed to see out the first over to hand Timm van der Gugten his first wicket, while James Harris then removed Michael Jones as Sam Northeast claimed a brilliant catch at second slip. The first half-hour could have been better for Glamorgan, but Alex Lees' edge travelled between third slip and gully, denying Harris the second wicket of his first over.
Scott Borthwick almost gave his wicket away when he attempted a quick single, only to be turned back by Lees halfway down the track. Time stood still for Andrew Salter to connect with the stumps, but he missed with his throw to let the Durham skipper off the hook. The two Durham batters got on the same page to register their fifty stand before Lees worked his way to his third half-century of the term.
However, Glamorgan fought back to edge the morning session as Borthwick picked out Zain-ul-Hassan at midwicket before Lees was bowled in the final over before the interval by Andy Gorvin.
Durham required a partnership in the afternoon session to stem the side. Robinson and Bedingham answered the call, emulating Glamorgan's efforts from day one with a brilliant effort under the baking sun at Chester-le-Street. Robinson endured a tough time against van der Gugten early in his innings, surviving a close lbw shout on 3.
But, after grinding through the first half-hour, the 24-year-old shifted through the gears with ease. He outscored Bedingham at the other end, surging past fifty and then towards his second century of the season, reaching three figures in the final over before tea with a sweep to the fence against Kiran Carlson with his 17th boundary.
Bedingham was more reserved than his team-mate, but more than played his role as the two batters combined for 166 runs in the session at over five runs per over. Only a brilliant piece of keeping from Chris Cooke halted Robinson's charge as he gathered a leg-side delivery from Gorvin and stretched to whip off the Durham batter's bails after he overbalanced out of his crease.
Despite the loss of Robinson, Durham maintained their intensity as Bedingham scored his second century of the season, cutting Van der Gugten to the fence from the second delivery from the new ball. Clark compounded Durham's advantage and his striking ability allowed him to follow his hundred from his last first-class outing with another milestone, posting fifty from 75 balls.
As the day came to a close, Bedingham and Clark steered the hosts past the 400-run mark, earning a fourth batting point in the process and taking a lead of 21 into day three with five first-innings wickets remaining.
