Keedy takes six to thwart Durham

COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE, Old Trafford:
CLOSE OF PLAY, DAY ONE: Durham 270, Lancashire 0-0 (Lancs 3pts, Durham 2pts)
11-14 August 2009

Match scorecard

Gary Keedy claimed only his second Championship 'five-for' of the summer

Gary Keedy celebrated his England Lions call-up with six wickets as Lancashire put leaders Durham on the back foot.

The 34-year-old spinner, who last represented his country at Under-19 level, gave the selectors a nudge with a season's best at Old Trafford.

He bowled 36 overs in the day to finish with 6-85, backed by fellow left-arm spinner Stephen Parry (2-51).

Durham were bowled out for 270 just before an early close, the home side facing just five balls on 0-0.

With England duo Jimmy Anderson and Andrew Flintoff both having treatment at the ground ahead of the final Ashes Test, injuries ruling out Sajid Mahmood, Tom Smith and skipper Glen Chapple out, Lancashire had been forced to draft in Derbyshire's Tom Lungley on a four-week loan on the eve of the game.

So it was no surprise they produced a turning wicket on which to face table-topping Durham, who had Graham Onions in their ranks, although not Steve Harmison and Paul Collingwood.

After winning the toss, Durham openers Michael Di Venuto and Mark Stoneman set about the home seam attack, plundering 69 from the first 15 overs. But Keedy changed it all after coming on in the 17th over.

First, he trapped Stoneman lbw on 33, then he forced Di Venuto, who became just the third player this season to pass 1,000 Championship runs on the way to his 53, into a false shot and Kyle Hogg claimed the catch at mid-off.

While Keedy twirled away at one end, Lungley bowled tightly at the other after lunch and claimed the crucial wicket of Gordon Muchall lbw for 39 to break a 61-run partnership with Will Smith.

The Durham captain went next after edging a cut off Parry to Luke Sutton behind the stumps.

Keedy switched ends and had Dale Benkenstein caught at gully by Paul Horton.

Then, off the final ball before tea, Mark Chilton pulled off a stunning one-handed catch at bat-pad to get rid of Phil Mustard as Durham went into the interval on 207-6.

Chilton clung on to another great chance at short leg at the start of the final session as Parry, who was hit for two sixes by Ian Blackwell, gained his revenge on the former England all-rounder.

An eighth-wicket stand of 56 by Liam Plunkett and Callum Thorp steadied the Durham ship, although Parry dropped Plunkett off his own bowling, then saw Horton put down a chance off Thorp at slip in his next over.

But Keedy, who had taken only 23 Championship wickets this season before this game, returned to the attack with the second new ball just five overs old to have Thorp snapped up at short leg.

Lungley claimed his second in the next over, when Onions fended off a short-pitched delivery to short leg where Chilton claimed his fourth catch of the day.

And the spinners combined to round things off, with Parry catching Plunkett at backward point to give Keedy his sixth wicket.

Lancashire spinner Gary Keedy told BBC Radio Manchester:

"We weren't that disappointed when we lost the toss.

"I just bowled as well as I have been doing in the last couple of games and I've got the ball early in my hand today."

"I've bowled my area and just been patient, that was the key.

"The key message was to be patient, sit in there and the wickets would come."