Tuesday 25 August 2015 09:21, UK
Middlesex consolidated second place behind Yorkshire in LV= County Championship Division One after surviving a nervy start on the final day at Chester-le-Street to beat Durham by 71 runs.
James Harris took four of the remaining five wickets to finish with 5-71, his third five-wicket haul of the season, which included 9-34 in the home win against Durham.
In the first 55 minutes, Scott Borthwick and Ryan Pringle added 56 runs for the hosts and at 190-5, with 118 needed, Durham were in the ascendancy.
However, 50 minutes later it was all over after the tide turned thanks to Harris.
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.
Borthwick, on 68 overnight, reached 1,000 championship runs after moving to 83 but he 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 debutant James Weighell to play a few shots after taking 17 balls to get off the mark.
He reached 24 before lofting a Harris delivery to Paul Stirling at deep backward square to end Durham's innings on 236.
Middlesex secured 19 points from their victory with Durham picking up only three.
They are now 30 points behind leaders Yorkshire, who had to settle for a draw with Sussex after the final day of their game at Hove was washed out.
Sussex, who were 493-7 in their first innings in reply to Yorkshire's 494 all out, picked up 12 points from the draw, while Yorkshire, who have a game in hand on Middlesex, claimed 11.
There was also no play possible on the final day at Taunton as Somerset and Worcestershire had to settle for a draw, picking up 11 and six points respectively.
The visitors, who remain in the bottom two, had ended the third day on 172-4 in their first innings after Somerset had made a mammoth 565-5 declared.
Nottinghamshire are now third in the table after leapfrogging Warwickshire with an emphatic win over the Bears at Trent Bridge.
Samit Patel returned figures of 4-23 as the visitors were bowled out for 217 in their second innings, giving the home side victory by an innings and 123 runs and 24 points.
In gloomy conditions, with the floodlights burning brightly, Patel and Steven Mullaney (2-35) took the last six wickets to fall to clinch the win after meeting resistance from skipper William Porterfield (61 from 166 balls), Tim Ambrose (12 from 64) and Rikki Clarke (30 not out from 109).
