Outplayed Durham escape with a draw

Jul 15 2008 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

A FIFTH half-century of the season for captain Dale Benkenstein was the only highlight for Durham on the final day of their County Championship draw with Somerset.

Benkenstein, who has already amassed 577 runs in just six Championship games this season, shared a 95-run third-wicket partnership with opener Michael Di Venuto to calm things down after Durham had lost Mark Stoneman and Will Smith with just eight runs on the board.

Somerset had set Durham 285 to win in their final innings, declaring shortly after lunch, but Benkenstein’s side were never going to risk trying to chase it down as soon as early wickets tumbled.

In the end Somerset shook hands on the draw with nine overs remaining.

While a share of the points is a decent result against another side with title aspirations, Durham were outplayed over the four days.

“It was a good game to draw because we have not played well,” said Benkenstein. “We were shocking with the ball on Saturday, it’s probably the worst bowling performance we’ve had all season, with the exception of Steve Harmison, who was outstanding.

“We had some short, sharp words in the dressing room on Saturday evening because we looked like we were playing a pre-season game out there. It wasn’t good enough, but thankfully we were a lot better in the second innings.”

And, while Benkenstein was critical of his bowlers as a unit, he fears he will not be able to call on the one person he has been able to rely on this season.

He explained: “I’d like you to write that Steve (Harmison) is bowling terrible and that he’s a shocking guy to have in your team, but nothing could be further from the truth. He’s been unbelievable and I’m sure he won’t be here for much longer.”

Somerset had to score quickly in the morning session to have any chance of forcing a victory and openers Marcus Trescothick and Neil Edwards began the day in ominous fashion.

While the Cornishman fell in Paul Wiseman’s first over of the morning, Somerset were still in a decent position. But the run-rate fell after Trescothick departed with Callum Thorp picking up the wickets of Edwards and Peter Trago.

That hampered the visitors, who were forced to bat on after lunch, eating into the amount of time they would have to cause a Durham collapse. James Hildreth and Ian Blackwell put on 68 runs for the fourth wicket before the latter hit the ball straight to Graham Onions at long on and Harmison found some extra bounce to get Hildreth caught. That brought the second declaration of the game from Somerset skipper Justin Langer but, while the target of 285 to win from 52 overs was a tempting one to try to chase, Durham decided to shut up shop and settle for the draw. It was probably a sensible decision in the wider context of their season.

West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul will arrive in the North East before Durham’s trip to Surrey on Wednesday to reinforce a batting line-up which still has a worryingly brittle look when Benkenstein and Di Venuto fail.

Indeed, for all of the improvements the county have made in recent years, in particular their unrivalled ability to produce top-quality seam bowlers, Durham have still not developed a first-class batsman who has proven himself consistently at this level since Paul Collingwood – who made his First Class debut 12 years ago – arrived on the scene.

It is about time someone showed the talent and mental strength needed to follow in his footsteps.