MIDDLESEX WIN BY 71 RUNS
Middlesex consolidated second place in the LV County Championship when they survived a nervy start at Chester-le-Street to beat Durham by 71 runs.
James Harris took four of the remaining five wickets to finish with five for 71, his third five-wicket haul of the season, which included nine for 34 in the home win against Durham.
In the first 55 minutes Scott Borthwick and Ryan Pringle added 56 runs. At 190 for five, with 118 needed, Durham were in the ascendancy. But 50 minutes later it was all over.
A Harris yorker took out Pringle's off stump after the all-rounder had hit three fours in a Tim Murtagh over in reaching 36.
While Toby Roland-Jones kept it tight, there were also 13 runs off Harris's first over before he struck with the first ball of his second.
Borthwick, on 68 overnight, reached 1,000 championship runs on 83 but fell for 95 when he drove at a gentle swinger from Neil Dexter and edged to John Simpson.
The wicketkeeper then held a leg-side catch when John Hastings gloved a short ball from Harris to depart for
eight.
Chris Rushworth fended Harris to gully, leaving debut boy James Weighell to play a few shots after taking 17 balls to get off the mark.
He reached 24 before skying Harris to Paul Stirling at deep backward square and Durham were all out for 236.
Middlesex's over-rate had come down from minus four to minus one overnight and they awaited the possibility of further adjustments when it was reading minus two at the end.
