Classy show gives hope of success

Jun 25 2008 by Mark Douglas, The Journal

THE clouds that encroached on Durham’s Twenty20 campaign last night will come with the ultimate silver lining if the Dynamos accomplish the simple task of avoiding defeat against Derbyshire tonight.

Thanks to Leicestershire’s unlikely win against Nottinghamshire – a victory achieved while Durham were running from the rain that once again wrecked an entertaining evening at the Riverside – the Dynamos have one foot firmly placed in the final stages of the Twenty20 Cup, and with it a shot at the riches of the planned Champions League this autumn.

That their victory was achieved via the unsatisfying Duckworth-Lewis method will be a minor irritation, but not enough to halt the growing momentum surrounding Dale Benkenstein’s rapidly-improving side.

For while Durham were robbed of the chance to finish off a Yorkshire side that were heading for the ropes long before umpire Graham Burgess sent them to the pavilion at around 8 o’clock last night, none of the near 5,000 crowd who thronged the Riverside last night will have been left in any doubt this was a deserved win for a Dynamos team that are beginning to look like genuine contenders for county cricket’s newest prize.

Thirty-nine runs was the margin of victory but that only hints at the dominance they enjoyed against a team that ran them all the way over the weekend.

With the bat, it was Phil Mustard to the fore with a superb 49 as Matthew Hoggard and Tim Bresnan toiled for the out-of-sorts visitors. And with the ball Yorkshire posted a ragged innings as Harmison made the most of the bad light to zip a series of worrying deliveries at their poor batsmen.

Teams must be quaking in their boots at the prospect of visiting the Riverside – as much for the unpredictable forecasts as for the opposition.

But while the Dynamos’ weather-beaten home campaign has been frustrating, there is no doubt Durham have enjoyed some considerable home comfort in their Twenty20 campaign. Yorkshire skipper Darren Gough must take some of the blame for this defeat, choosing to bat second after winning the toss always looked like running the gauntlet as grey skies began to circle ominously.

And so it proved as Durham rattled up a commendable total. Mustard’s contribution underscored a good innings that was also helped by big-hitting Will Smith.

Again skipper Benkenstein made an invaluable contribution with a swashbuckling 29 from 17 balls, but just as the Dynamos appeared to be taking a firm grip over proceedings, Yorkshire’s evergreen paceman Gough intervened. His spell with the ball had got off to an inglorious start. But after the temporary aberration of being hit for 16 from his first over, Gough began to assert his authority.

Albie Morkel was caught trying to smash a fast ball and suddenly Durham’s confidence began to dissipate. Pollock followed soon after – the victim of some neat Yorkshire fielding – and when Plunkett was stumped by Gerard Brophy it looked as if there may be a way back into the game for the visitors.

A late rally from Graham Breese meant Yorkshire were chasing a very competitive 162, and as the light faded so did their hope of securing anything.

Adil Rashid’s calamitous run-out, achieved thanks to some impressive throwing from Harmison, set the tone and Yorkshire couldn’t handle the pace of the Ashington Express as they limped to 49-5 before the weather intervened.