Somerset denied win
May 13 2011 - 20:00:07
Somerset let victory slip through their fingers as Ben Stokes' hundred helped Durham to an unlikely draw in their LV= County Championship Division One match at Chester-le-Street.
The 19-year-old left-hander produced 120 in a stand of 170 with Dale Benkenstein, who resisted for 207 minutes to make 66.
Phil Mustard and Scott Borthwick then shared an unbroken stand of 73 and with Durham on 489 for six, 116 ahead after being asked to follow on, hands were shaken on a draw at the start of what would have been the final hour.
Hampshire veteran Dominic Cork fell just short of his 10,000th first-class run but enjoyed another successful day with the ball against Yorkshire at Headingley.
The 39-year-old, who took five for 75 in the first innings, took two more on a rain-hampered day to give him match figures of seven for 102..
His efforts pegged back Yorkshire to 62 for three after they had gained a first-innings lead of 123 and they were left needing to make good progress on the final morning if they are to go on to win the match.
Worcestershire face an uphill struggle to beat local rivals Warwickshire at Edgbaston on the final day.
The Pears need to score 292 more with seven wickets in hand after they slipped to 36 for three before rain stopped play for the day.
Warwickshire had declared on 173 for eight to set a target of 328 but Naqaash Tahir ripped through the order with three for eight to leave the visitors teetering on the brink.
It was not all plain sailing for Warwickshire, though, as an England and Wales Cricket Board panel was convened to start an investigation into the state of the Edgbaston pitch.
