Matthew Potts led a lower-order fightback from Durham as they defied a brilliant bowling effort from James Anderson and Lancashire on day two of their Rothesay County Championship clash.

Potts and Ben Raine cleaned up Lancashire’s tail with minimum fuss in the morning, as Durham bowled Lancashire out for 370. However, the hosts’ batting line up struggled to click into gear during the early stages of their reply, with Anderson’s early double blow handing Lancashire the initiative.

Tom Bailey took two poles in the afternoon to put the visitors in cruise control, but Potts’ fifth First Class half-century along with defiant knocks from Raine and Callum Parkinson led a fightback and helped Durham reach 295 all out, a first innings deficit of 75.

Durham were rocked by the loss of Sam Conners in the morning, after he pulled out of the game with an abdominal injury and he was replaced by Minto.

Durham came into the morning with the aim to dislodge unbeaten centurion Marcus Harris and it was Raine who finally got him for a sublime 146 as the Australian edged to second slip.

Durham then cleaned up the Lancashire tail quickly, as Potts dismissed both Mitch Stanley and Anderson in the same over.

Durham started their reply with a testing period against Anderson and Bailey under the lights and the visitors got off to a great start as the former bowled the dangerous Ben McKinney.

Anderson then struck again as he got one to swing into Alex Lees’ pads and the Durham skipper was given LBW.

Emilio Gay and David Bedingham joined forces at the crease, with Durham desperately needing a partnership, but that wasn’t to be as Stanley got the latter LBW.

Gay and Graham Clark managed to get their side to lunch without further loss, but the visitors were celebrating a wicket once again after the break, with Clark edging a Balderson delivery to slip.

Lancashire were then hit by an injury blow themselves, with spin bowling all-rounder Arav Shetty sustaining a hand injury and wicket keeper George Bell replaced him.

Gay was keeping his team’s hopes of getting close to Lancashire’s score intact, but the visitors kept on cranking up the pressure with a probing line and length.

However, when it appeared Durham were steadying the ship, Gay and Kasey Aldridge fell in successive balls, both edging Bailey deliveries to slip.

Ollie Robinson then fell LBW to Stanley to deepen Durham’s woe, as they were still some way off avoiding the follow-on.

Raine offered some resistance but he was then part of a calamitous run-out with Potts, as Matty Hurst’s direct hit slammed into the stumps when Raine was well out of his ground.

Injury replacement Minto joined Potts for his first action of the game and he looked the part with the bat alongside Potts, helping Durham pass 200 as they continued to frustrate Lancashire.

However, Minto’s defiant knock came to an end, as he edged a delivery from former teammate Paul Coughlin straight to the slip cordon.

Durham then avoided the follow-on and picked up a batting bonus point, with Potts passing fifty when an airy cut shot flew to the boundary.

Parkinson, who was dropped on six, ably assisted Potts during a final wicket stand worth 78 that was Durham’s biggest in their innings, and the day concluded when Bailey got Potts LBW for a vital 66.