Durham closing in on LV title

Jul 3 2009 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

DURHAM are closing in on a fourth successive Liverpool Victoria County Championship victory as long as the summer heat wave holds long enough for them to complete the job.

Baked hard by a burning hot sun yesterday, the Riverside might be under the covers and an inch of surface water if the violent thunder storms forecasted for today arrive early.

Conscious of the fact the weather is expected to take a dramatic turn for the worse before the weekend, Durham’s openers Michael Di Venuto and Kyle Coetzer tried to score quickly yesterday evening as they chased a modest 179 to win after Worcestershire were dismissed for less than 200 for the second time in the match.

Coetzer had done his bit for 15, before a sharply rising ball from Ashley Noffke found his edge, but Di Venuto – out for a rare duck in the first innings but 43 not out in the second – continued to lead the run chase confidently.

Nevertheless, Durham still need 115 and their fate, to an extent, is in the hands of the Gods.

Should the thunder storms descend on the North East as they did on Wednesday afternoon when there were was widespread flash flooding, there is no guarantee there will be any play possible on the fourth and final day.

Such are the dramatic changes in an English summer, particularly given the glorious conditions at Chester-le-Street yesterday with a gentle breeze and clear blue skies making it a perfect day for cricket and, you would have thought, batting.

That Durham managed to take 10 wickets in less than three sessions for the second time in this game is a tremendous feat, with Liam Plunkett, in particular outstanding.

Worcestershire may be bottom of the first division and without their three best batsmen – Steve Davies, Stephen Moore and Vikram Solanki who are playing for England Lions against Australia – but Durham’s bowlers had a job to do and they have done it in some style in the circumstances.