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[Watch] Dog Stops Play! Rare Scenes In Durham Vs Kent County Championship Match

A dog brought Durham vs Kent to a halt at Riverside Ground [Screengrab/@DurhamCricket/x.com]A dog brought Durham vs Kent to a halt at Riverside Ground [Screengrab/@DurhamCricket/x.com]

A gripping County Championship Division One match between Kent and hosts Durham was briefly halted by a dog at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street on September 28. At the halfway stage of Day 3, the dog wandered inside the field before sprinting back outside the boundary rope.

Durham skipper and opening batter Alex Lees was batting at 135* at the time, and he was just joined by newcomer David Bedingham at the crease.

A dog takes centerstage in County Championship

A dog sprinted inside the boundary between overs and stood besides one of Kent fielders around the halfway stage of Day 3 on September 28. Seemingly intrigued by the action-packed display between the two competitive teams, the lively canine appeared to have bored himself after a few seconds as he hilariously sprinted back outside the boundary.

As one can expect, the entire episode also drew in much amusement from the on-air commentators at the time.


Durham, meanwhile, were put into bat first earlier in the day by Kent skipper Jack Leaning. Hosts captain and opening batter Alex Lees mounted a fiery 144 from 180 balls with 18 boundaries to headline the entire day’s play. Emilio Gay at number three also crafted 52 runs from 96 balls, while South African batter David Bedingham smeared 66 runs off just 38 deliveries with three boundaries and six maximums.

Among the Kent bowlers, new ball pacemen Grant Stewart and Nathan Gilchrist as well as leg-spinner Matt Parkinson found themselves amongst the wickets. It is worth noting that the first two days of the match were washed out in its entirety.

The match marks a must-win one for hosts Durham, as they aim to climb higher on the County Championship Division One 2024 points table.