County Championship: Derbyshire batters recover against Durham

LV = County Championship Division Two, The Incora County Ground, Derby (day one): Derbyshire 306: Du Plooy 82, Cam 78; Rushworth 3-60, Raine 3-61 Durham: Still to beat 3 ptsScorecard

Promotion hopes of Division 2 were in trouble at 58-4 but Du Plooy followed his two centuries in the match at Chester-le Street in July with 82 balls from 124.

Harry Came scored a career-best 78, sharing a position of 143 in 32 overs with Du Plooy, before Anuj Dal added 56 as Derbyshire were eliminated for 306 - Chris Rushworth and Ben Raine both taking three wickets.

Durham's decision to play on a well-turfed pitch looked good when Rushworth and Raine cut Derbyshire to 31-3.

Luis Reece went on the second ball of the match when he beat Rushworth in the gloves of Tom La Mauva Mackintosh and Billy Godleman's season in the Championship continued when he played behind the wheel at Raine in the next class.

Brooke Guest looked the part again at number three, showing good judgment in difficult conditions, but Derbyshire lost another big wicket in the sixth to Rushworth.

Wayne Madsen had to play on a ball that went wide and was caught for nine and Guest, who scored a hundred at Chester-le-Street in July, was also the victim of a good delivery .

Guest drove Rushworth to the ground for four and along with Du Plooy, was beginning to rebuild the innings when Raine choked one to remove its stump.

Another wicket before lunch would have plunged Derbyshire into serious serious trouble, but Came and Du Plooy neither negotiated Overs and batters got easier and easier in the afternoon.

The inevitable change of ball came after 40 overs but Du...