Dale claims upper hand after draw

Apr 28 2008 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

DALE Benkenstein is convinced Durham gained a moral victory over Surrey after the weather ruined their chances of opening the Liverpool Victoria Championship campaign with a victory at the Riverside.

Durham were forced to accept a draw on Saturday evening as Surrey’s experienced middle order pair of Mark Ramprakash and Mark Butcher pulled down the defensive shutters after Steve Harmison and Graham Onions had taken three early wickets to reduce the visitors to 45-3 in their second innings.

However, Benkenstein – who will fly home to South Africa for a week on May 6 to be at the birth of his third child – was pleased with the performance in difficult conditions and insisted the difference in quality between the two sides was not accurately reflected in the one additional batting bonus point Durham had taken from the game.

“I think we ended the game with the upper hand,” said Benkenstein, who opened his Championship season with two half centuries. “There was only one side that was going to win it, but the weather meant it was difficult to get a result. We didn’t get a single full day’s play out of the four and if we had, I think we would have won the game. But generally I’m pleased with the start to the season.

“There were a number of positives, Graham Onions’ start to the season with the ball, Mark Stoneman’s half century on the first day when we recovered from 13-3, the excellent knock from Phil Mustard in the second innings and the way Steve Harmison started to hit his straps on Saturday.”

The form of Harmison is one of the major talking points in English cricket at the start of the domestic season and, although the Ashington Express took a while to get going against Surrey, Benkenstein believes there were plenty of encouraging signs.

He explained: “Steve was bowling really quickly in the second innings and he was starting to find his rhythm as well. That is encouraging and he will get better and better the more cricket he plays.

“He has had a really tough winter, but you could see the confidence start to return. The more wickets he takes, the more confident he will get and that is such a massive part of this game. He is such a wonderful team player, we’re really pleased to have him with us. From what I’ve seen, he is very determined to get back into the England team and he was in the gym when it was raining working hard, which is another good sign.

“It’s going to take a lot of hard work but he knows that and he is willing to put that work in. For now, I’m just delighted to have him at Durham.”

The Durham skipper was also pleased with Onions’ start to the four-day game, as the Gateshead seamer picked up five wickets in the match.

He said: “Graham has worked really hard over the winter and you can see he has matured as a cricketer and as a person. He was quick and controlled against Surrey. I don’t want to put the mockers on him, but from what I’ve seen so far, he is going to have a really good season.”

Benkenstein’s involvement in the rebel Indian Cricket League means he has played less cricket than usual over the winter as he was banned by the South African Cricket Board for accepting an offer to play in India. However, that has given the 33-year-old the chance to work on his fitness, as well as spend time with his family, and the skipper has returned to the Riverside feeling refreshed.

He said: “It doesn’t get any easier on the body as you get older, but I’ve been able to work on my fitness over the winter because I’ve played less cricket than normal. I enjoyed playing in the ICL, but the break has done me some good. I’m feeling refreshed and have comeback to Durham really looking forward to playing some cricket.

“I got a couple of half-centuries against Surrey and it was good to get some time at the crease under my belt. Hopefully I’ll be turning those scores into even bigger ones as the season goes on. But like the team, it’s been a good start to the season.”