McKinney hits 244 as Durham dominate Glos

Ben McKinney scored a maiden double century, batting for 272 balls in his innings [Getty Images] Rothesay County Championship, Division Two, Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol (day two) Durham 605-5 dec: McKinney 244, Lees 129, Bedingham 118; Miles 2-89 Gloucestershire 168-8: Price 34; Raine 3-42, Roach 3-50 Gloucestershire (1pt) trail Durham (7pts) by 437 runs with two first innings wickets remaining Match scorecard Kemar Roach and Ben Raine claimed three wickets each as Durham took complete control on the second day of the County Championship Division Two match with Gloucestershire in Bristol. The visitors began by extending their first innings total from an overnight 456-2 to 605-5 before declaring shortly before lunch. Ben McKinney was finally dismissed for 244, while David Bedingham contributed 118, the pair sharing a third-wicket stand of 209 in 38.

3 overs. Roach (3-50) and Raine (3-42) then helped reduce Gloucestershire to 109-7 in reply before Craig Miles and Matt Taylor offered belated resistance to guide their struggling team to 168-8 at stumps. McKinney was soon on the attack when starting the day unbeaten on 214 and produced an extraordinary tennis shot, advancing down the pitch to smite a delivery from Will Williams over the longer mid-wicket boundary for six.

Bedingham was also in positive mood and, from an overnight 76 not out, moved to a 126-ball century, with 13 fours and a six, when clipping a ball from Miles to the square-leg boundary. McKinney brought up the 200 stand with a six over wide long-on off Taylor and posted another maximum in the same over mid-wicket. But the increasingly cavalier approach brought his downfall when Williams took a good catch running in from wide mid-on to give Miles a first wicket.

McKinney had batted for six hours and 29 minutes, hitting 36 fours and three sixes in an innings guaranteed to enhance the 21-year-old left-hander's prospects of an England call-up. His departure left Durham 520-3 and although Raine fell cheaply to a boundary catch, Graham Clark and Ollie Robinson had no problems taking the total past 600. The declaration left Gloucestershire two overs to bat before lunch.