Gay hits 141 as champions Durham dominate day one at Lancashire
Champions Durham showed no let-up, closing day one on 355-5 against Lancashire at Old Trafford in County Championship Division Two.
Durham had already sealed the Division Two title before this final match. They batted first and piled on the runs, led by opener Emilio Gay with 141, according to BBC Sport.
Gay reached his century — a single innings of 100 or more — off 156 balls. It was his fourth hundred in only 10 Championship innings this season. He set the tone early and kept scoring through the middle of the day.
He put on 114 for the second wicket with Ben McKinney. A stand simply means the runs added by a pair batting together. McKinney made 71, and passed 1,000 first-class runs for the season during the innings. First-class is the long form of the game, played over three or four days.
Gay then added 168 for the third wicket with Mayank Agarwal. Agarwal, the former India opener, struck 66. That partnership took Durham past 300 and left Lancashire chasing the game.
Lancashire worked hard late on. Seamer Tom Bailey returned 2-52, the pick of the home attack. After day one, Durham took three bonus points to Lancashire’s one. Bonus points are extra rewards for strong batting and bowling in the first 110 overs of each side’s first innings.
What makes this stand out is the freedom in it. Durham had nothing left to win. They played like it. Gay timed the ball, McKinney reached a landmark, and Agarwal settled quickly beside them.
