Keaton Jennings became only the third Durham batsman to score two centuries in a Specsavers County Championship match to leave Somerset on the ropes at the halfway stage of their Division One match at Emirates Riverside.
The left-handed opener, who made 116 in the first innings, lofted Roleof van der Merwe wide of mid-on to move to the milestone as the Durham floodlights shone for the first time in four-day cricket.
Australian Dean Jones did it against Pakistan at the Chester-le-Street club ground in Durham’s inaugural first-class season, 1992, and Paul Collingwood did the double against Somerset at Taunton in 2005.
Jennings was unbeaten on 105 at the close with Collingwood on 39, the pair taking their side to 223 for four, a lead of 300.
Jennings reached 50 off 63 balls, compared with 130 in the first innings, but was obliged to revert to grafting mode when the cloud cover returned after tea.
After conceding a first-innings deficit of 77, Somerset contributed heavily to their own troubles with some dreadful bowling in the first 10 overs.
The first three yielded 32 runs, Lewis Gregory conceding 24 in two, and with 66 on the board, Mark Stoneman pulled the first ball of the 11th over for six off Tim Groenewald.
A great reception from the home dressing room for a top knock by @JetJennings pic.twitter.com/ON9LSOAfum
— Durham Cricket Club (@DurhamCricket) April 11, 2016
But only two more runs were added before he surrendered for 41 in Van der Merwe’s first over of left-arm spin, driving straight to short midwicket.
The rate slowed as Scott Borthwick played himself in and Durham were 109 for one from 25 overs at tea.
The next 20 overs brought only 46 runs for the loss of three wickets before Collingwood emerged in fading light and swiftly atoned for his first-ball dismissal in the first innings with two imperious drives off Gregory.
In the morning superb bowling by Graham Onions, assisted by the run-out of visiting skipper Chris Rogers, saw Durham reduce Somerset from their overnight 30 for three to 102 for eight.
Peter Trego and Gregory then counter-attacked in a stand of 66 before the visitors were all out for 179, Onions finishing with 4-62.
Rogers survived a searching examination by Onions, only to find himself stranded by Stoneman’s direct-hit from mid-off when Trego risked a run off the first ball he faced.
There were two wickets for Championship debutant Brydon Carse, who looked the quickest bowler in the match.
Two sets of press commitments in two days – Par for the course if you keep hitting tons, @JetJennings ! pic.twitter.com/HFBjeqHWH6
— Durham Cricket Club (@DurhamCricket) April 11, 2016
Wicketkeeper Ryan Davies tried to fend a short ball to leg and lobbed it back to the bowler and Trego was last out for a top score of 45 when he slogged the first ball of Carse’s second spell to mid-on.
Jennings, who is the son of former South Africa coach Ray Jennings, said: “I spoke to my dad on Facetime this morning and will do it again tomorrow. To see the joy on his face makes me very proud.
“Paul Collingwood took the attack to them towards the end and took the pressure off me. When I reached my hundred he said: ‘Well done, not a lot of people have done this.’
“To join such an elite crew of him and Dean Jones is a privilege and I hope I can follow in their footsteps.”
Matthew Maynard, Somerset’s director of cricket, said: “We haven’t utilised the new ball in either innings. We have bowled poorly and it’s a massive wake-up call for the bowlers.
“We had to bat well first thing and for a while we did that. But then three quick wickets put us on the back foot.
“They had a lead of 77 and we made it easier for them, but all credit to Keaton. He played really well.”
Source: ECB