Cantering to victory may cost Durham
May 26 2008 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal
DURHAM cruised to a comfortable 38-run victory to go top of the North Division of the Friends Provident Trophy yesterday.
But the holders’ hopes of reaching the quarter-finals will be determined elsewhere and if they are super-critical of themselves, they might have done even more to help their cause.
While Durham and Derbyshire meet at Chester-le-Street today as the group’s top two teams, Lancashire and Yorkshire (who, like Derbyshire, have played a game less than the Riversiders) are only a point behind. Qualification could ultimately be decided by run-rates and with the worst of the quartet, Durham might have further improved theirs while cantering to victory.
Their 230-6 was plenty in the context of the match, but from 198-5 it should have done been more. The good news, though, was Phil Mustard and Neil McKenzie played themselves into much-needed form for today.
Wicket-keeper Mustard partly owes his upturn to Richie Berrington. He had looked horribly out of touch and unusually subdued (his first boundary was not until the eighth over) when the seamer dropped a caught-and-bowled chance. To compound the error, Berrington over-stepped and saw the subsequent free-hit sail over the boundary. It set Mustard on his way to an 87-ball 57 when he could just as easily have become Durham’s third self-inflicted wicket. It was a temporary delay, however, Calum MacLeod’s direct hit running him out when backing up too enthusiastically.
When Mustard was still struggling to get the ball off the square, Michael Di Venuto and Will Smith – in his first competitive game since last July after scores of 99 and 146 in the second team last week – were briefly in wonderful touch. Di Venuto drove the game’s first ball for four while Smith got off the mark with a pull to the boundary but both skied ill-advised pulls on nine.
McKenzie’s 68 was his first half-century in any competition since his maiden Durham innings. On 58 he had given up hope of regaining his ground when wicket-keeper Colin Smith missed the stumps. But in the over he smashed John Blain for four, the bowler got revenge, slanting one across him to be caught behind. By then Durham were well placed but Dale Benkenstein (31) had also gone trying to up the rate and no subsequent batsman was able to.
Durham dropped Gavin Hamilton twice in the first over of Scotland’s reply.
But at no time did it look like the hosts would suffer. Their former player was on 13 when Mustard gave Callum Thorp his first wicket and Di Venuto produced a brilliant left-handed catch at wide second slip to dismiss Ed Cowan.
Ben Harmison, bowling in tandem with his brother Steve, weighed in with an outstanding opening spell, taking two wickets without conceding in his first 27 balls (he later added a third). Smith seemed not to appreciate the difficulty of the pitch, using his feet as if it were totally flat without often making significant contact.
By the time Ben Harmison came off Scotland were 61-5 and an away win nigh on impossible.
Berrington offered offer solid resistance with Neil McCallum. The pair added 76 for the sixth wicket before Berrington played on to Steve Harmison (2-39) who also demolished the stumps of McCullum (60). The field in, some lusty blows further eroded the margin of the inevitable victory until Benkenstein held a catch from Dewald Nel 3.2 overs from the scheduled end.
It should make for a nervous last three days of the group stages but after a stuttering start to their defence, that is something Durham can be grateful for.
