Browne breaks century drought in style as Essex draw with Durham

Essex's Nick Browne scored his first Championship century for over a year and Callum Parkinson collected his maiden five-wicket haul for Durham, but the Vitality County Championship at the Seat Unique Riverside ended in a draw.

Such an outcome had always appeared probable once the third day's play had been lost. However, having made 488 and taken a 130-run lead on first innings, Essex did their best to force a victory on the final afternoon, only for their efforts to founder on the broad bat of Alex Lees, who made 48 not out in 128 minutes and had steered his side to 131 for 2 when bad light stopped play at 4.40pm.

The teams shook hands shortly afterwards, at which point David Bedingham, Lees' third-wicket partner, was unbeaten on 33.

The most notable event of the morning session came in the fifth over of the day when Browne back cut Ben Raine to the boundary to reach his first hundred in 22 Championship innings, a bleak run stretching back to the game against Kent in April 2023.

Browne's century was also a tribute to his patience in this match. He had batted 286 minutes and faced 238 balls to reach the landmark. Five overs later, another boundary from Browne brought Essex their third batting point but that achievement was swiftly followed by the dismissal of Jordan Cox, who was bowled by Parkinson for 36 when he played outside a ball that was deflected via the back pad to the leg stump.

Parkinson soon collected his second wicket of the morning when he clean bowled Matt Critchley for 3 with a fine ball that turned past the outside edge and hit off stump. Noah Thain then helped Browne add 55 in 11 overs before being caught at midwicket by Scott Borthwick off Colin Ackermann for 23, but Essex reached lunch on 450 for 6 with Browne unbeaten on 169.

The visitors looked to score quick runs in the afternoon session and lost four wickets in doing so, including two run outs in three balls. Browne departed for 184 when attempting a third run and failing to beat Lees' throw from fine leg and then Harry Duke was sent back by Simon Harmer but Borthwick's return from midwicket was too sharp.

Parkinson then dismissed Harmer and Jamie Porter in the same over to finish with 5 for 131 from 31 overs in Essex's 488 all out.

The visitors' hopes of causing a collapse were boosted when Borthwick played across a ball from Porter and was lbw for 4 in the third over of Durham's second innings. However, Lees and Ackermann put on 75 for the second wicket before Ackermann was caught at slip by Cox off Critchley for 32, a fate that had appeared to befall him on 20, only for the umpires to rule that the ball hadn't carried.

Durham took 12 points from the game and Essex received 14, a return which leaves the visitors equal on points with Surrey at the top of the First Division. The champions lead the table purely by virtue of having taken one wicket more than Essex this season.