[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Day Three

Morning: At last the weather gods decided to leave Chester-le-Street alone, and beneath scudding white clouds Worcestershire resumed on 96-2. Three-quarters of an hour of patient resistance came undone for Jake Libby when an edge was juggled and caught at second slip for 26 off Paul Coughlin, but Jack Haynes and skipper Brett D'Oliveira upped the scoring rate in response, Dolly in particular looking eager to get on with proceedings until lunch intervened on 192-3, with the Pears trailing by 233.

Afternoon: There was time for Haynes to complete his half-century before a leading edge from Dolly saw him caught and bowled by Matthew Kuhnemann for 46, breaking a fruitful partnership. But on the increasingly flat track, one wicket a session remained the upper limit, and there were no further casualties as an assured knock from Gareth Roderick helped to push the Pears past the follow-on target, reaching tea on 293-4.

Evening: Stranded on 98 during the interval, Haynes completed his fourth first-class century by half past four, and though Roderick departed for 44 pulling Ben Raine to midwicket, the Pears stuck to the task until a third batting point was up and Haynes had gone one better than his previous Championship best, with 134 not out. At that point, with the game seemingly drifting towards an inevitable draw, the skipper made a competitive decision to declare on 366-5, still trailing by 59 runs. The bold move was rewarded by a couple of late wickets, as Joe Leach jagged a ball back to bowl Michael Jones for 9, and Ben Gibbon dismissed Alex Lees LBW for 22; yet the hosts navigated the final ten overs safely, reaching stumps on 96-2 with a lead of 155. Having been stung in a close game last weekend, I'm not sure Durham will be overly eager to reciprocate Worcestershire's carrot-dangling declaration tomorrow, but the Pears have gamely put the ball in their court, and done an admirable job of maintaining some interest in a match where a draw still seems the likeliest outcome.