RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Kasey Aldridge bettered his previous first-class best match figures of 8-78 [Getty Images]
Rothesay County Championship, Division Two, Chester-le-Street (day three)
Gloucestershire 137: Aldridge 5-16 & 250: Hammond 58; Aldridge 4-47
Durham 384: Bedingham 122; Langridge 3-89
Durham (6 pts) need four runs to beat Gloucs (3 pts)
Match scorecard
Bad light prevented Kasey Aldridge's superb nine-wicket match haul from delivering league leaders Durham a three-day County Championship win over bottom side Gloucestershire.
A devastating burst of 4-47 from the seam-bowling all-rounder backed up his first innings five-for, but the hosts' victory charge will roll into day four with only four to win as the weather meant their chase could not begin before close.
At the start of the day, Durham's tail boosted their first-innings total to 384 - a lead of 247 - thanks to cameos from Aldridge, Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts, before the latter pair reduced Gloucestershire to 7-2 second time around. They were later bowled out for 250.
Cameron Bancroft and Miles Hammond were able to guide the visitors to 50-2 at lunch.
A century stand for the fourth wicket halted Durham's progress before Aldridge produced a superb three-wicket spell on the brink of tea to reaffirm the home side's dominance in the match and the Division Two table.
Light dictated that Durham's Test-quality pace attack step aside with two wickets required, and an explosive 10th-wicket partnership of 39 between Sai Kishore (29 not out) and JT Langridge forced the league leaders to bat again.
With that target of four set, the players did not emerge from their dressing rooms, with Gloucestershire refusing to bowl spin, leaving as little as one ball of action in prospect for day four.
In the only fixture in the country to start on time, Durham resumed on 331-8 and swiftly accelerated beyond 350.
Carse took James Hayes for 16 in an over before he was bowled by the Nottinghamshire loanee for 20. Potts, who added 15, fell to Langridge, the seamer finishing with three wickets.
The England duo then produced a relentless opening burst which saw Gloucestershire stagger to 15-2 in 10 overs.
Joe Phillips was removed by Carse for the second time in the match for a duck, before Potts had Ollie Price caught behind. Bancroft and Hammond counter-attacked against the change bowlers to reach lunch with no further damage.
Both sides battled manfully after the break, with the left-handed Hammond negotiating a testing nine-over Ben Stokes spell to reach 50 off 80 balls.
He batted comfortably in partnership with captain Bancroft, but a rising delivery from Aldridge squared Hammond up and induced the edge for 58.
Aldridge continued his fine performance by having Bancroft caught at second slip for 46 in his next over, and new man Tommy Boorman followed shortly after.
Gloucestershire finished the session five down and still 115 in arrears, leaving five wickets left for Durham to complete the job.
As the gloom set in after tea, Aldridge uprooted Daz Ahmed's middle stump for a 14-ball duck to register nine wickets in a match for the first time in his career.
With a light reading taken, it seemed only the elements could save Gloucestershire, as first innings half-centurion James Bracey dug in alongside Mitch Killeen.
Carse removed Bracey with a vicious in-swinger - 173-7.
In the 61st over of the innings, light forced Colin Ackermann into the attack, and he struck with his second ball, ending a spirited hand from Killeen to leave his side two wickets away.
Ackermann bowled in partnership with Will Rhodes, while Kishore shone with two sixes in 29.
Ackermann accounted for Hayes, who chipped to mid-wicket and left his side nine down, still trailing by 36.
Kishore and Langdrige had fun against Durham's part-timers, eking out a slender lead with a succession of maximums which ended when Langridge holed out for 36.
Although the umpires returned to the middle, they soon trudged off, and play was called off just after 18:20 BST.
Durham are all but there for a seventh win in 10 games.
ECB Reporters' Network supported by Rothesay.
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