Durham show their strength

Jul 14 2009 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

THE light and the pitch got the better of them, but the mere fact Durham trooped off disappointed yesterday afternoon told a story.

As those gripped by Sunday’s television pictures from Cardiff will testify, there are draws to commiserate and draws to celebrate. From the match situation after both sides batted this was a pretty decent, if not great, escape.

What shifted the balance – and what determines that while the Riversiders will be challenging for a second consecutive title, the best Yorkshire can hope for is to escape relegation – is all in the mind.

Durham have the confidence and mental toughness which comes with being good and knowing it, the Tykes do not.

With a first-innings lead of 135, Yorkshire were set to control the game, but on the last morning it quickly became clear the visitors were the only team who were going to win it. For a team without its captain and the country’s most potent bowler, it was no mean achievement.

Having first captained Durham at a time when they were just starting to learn how to win and standing in for the absent Will Smith these past four days at Headingley, Dale Benkenstein was purring at the improvement.

“It was an amazing turnaround (in the match) and if you look back to two years ago, very seldom when we got on the back foot could we turn it around,” he reflected. “Not only the score but the whole attitude and application were excellent. By the end they were really tired. The fight we showed, it was nearly as good as a win.

“We have some really good young players who are starting to contribute consistently now. There are contributions coming from everywhere, which is the sign of a good team.” If anything, batting appeared a little too comfortable for Durham’s liking in the morning. They were helped by three dropped catches, but neither the pitch nor the bowling caused many problems for Phil Mustard and Liam Plunkett. Mustard averages 67 this season and Plunkett’s batting has long been under-rated.

The pair made the county’s record eighth-wicket partnership of 143 on this ground against the same opponents last year. The landmark is now 147.