Durham maintained their complete domination of their County Championship match against Lancashire on a day when David Bedingham made the highest individual score in the county’s first-class history.
Bedingham’s 279 surpassed Martin Love’s 273 against Hampshire in 2003 and his innings was the bedrock of his team’s 573-9 declared.
Facing a deficit of 345, Lancashire ended the day poorly placed on 155-4, with Matthew Potts taking three of the wickets. Keaton Jennings’ side therefore need another 190 runs to avoid their fourth innings defeat of the season.
It was a day when other records tumbled at the Riverside as Bedingham and Colin Ackermann’s 424-run fifth-wicket partnership set a new record for any wicket for Durham, eclipsing the 334 put on by Stewart Hutton and Michael Roseberry against Oxford University in The Parks in 1996.
It was also the eighth-highest fifth-wicket stand in the history of first-class cricket and the second highest first-class partnership for any wicket against Lancashire.
The mammoth stand was eventually broken by the leg-spinner Luke Wells, who trapped Ackermann in front for 186 in the fourth over after lunch.
Ackermann also shares former club Le4icestershire’s record partnership – an unbroken 477 for the fifth wicket with Wiaan Mulder against Sussex two years ago.
Wells enjoyed more success when he had Ben Raine caught for 17 and Bas de Leede stumped by Matty Hurst for four.
Tom Hartley took his only wicket of the innings by dismissing Potts for four and the declaration was applied when Bedingham was caught off Wells.
He had batted 489 minutes, faced 359 balls and hit 27 fours and a six.
Wells finished with respectable figures of 4-69, but was soon out in the middle again when he opened Lancashire’s second innings with Jennings.
However, their alliance lasted only nine balls when the Lancashire skipper was caught off Potts for a duck.
Josh Bohannon joined Wells and guided Lancashire to 49-1 at tea but the visitors lost two wickets in five balls immediately after the resumption.
Wells (29) was bowled by Callum Parkinson and George Bell was caught behind by Potts for a two-ball duck.
Bohannon and Hurst then added 73 for the fourth wicket before the former nicked a Potts delivery to first slip for a patient 56.
Hurst ended the day unbeaten on 43 as he and George Balderson (14 not out) ensured no more wickets fell before close of play.
