JENNINGS JOY AT TON - AND EMPHATIC WIN
ONE-DAY SKIPPER LEADS FROM THE FRONT WITH CENTURY, AS WEIGHELL TAKES FIVE
Durham got their Royal London Cup campaign up and running in emphatic style with a 72-run victory over Warwickshire in a rain-reduced match at Edgbaston.
Durham were lifted to a hefty 313-5 from 39 overs by Keaton Jennings’ one-day best 139 (101 balls, 19 fours, two sixes), supported by Stephen Cook (60, 57 balls, seven fours) and Michael Richardson (49, 44 balls, one four, two sixes).
Chris Rushworth and Mark Wood then shared three wickets in eight overs to inflict crucial early damage upon Warwickshire’s reply.
From 43-3, there was no way back for the Bears who mustered only 241 all out despite Jonathan Trott’s 92 (81 balls, 12 fours).
James Weighell, a 23-year-old seamer playing only his second one-day game for Durham, ended with 5-57 as batsmen holed out under pressure from the escalating run-rate required.
Jennings said: “I don’t think I have played better in one-day cricket.
“Scoring runs against Warwickshire, with the quality of bowlers they have, is quite special.
“I was pleased with the way I started the innings.
“I think generally in the past I have got my tempo wrong up front. But Cookie took quite a lot of pressure off me, playing the way he did, and the partnerships we had all the way through were really important.
“Over the last 18 months to two years I have put quite a lot of graft in with a lot of the coaching staff in the changing-room and in and around my family and I’m really thankful that it’s worked and that I have had the success I have had in the last year or two.
“I am really enjoying the captaincy, 100 per cent.
“With guys like Woody and Colly and other guys around it’s absolutely brilliant and then we have someone like James Weighell coming in and on his bowling debut he wins us the game.
“We have got some really good people within the changing-room and I am just really pleased with the win today.”
Warwickshire batsman Jonathan Trott said: “I thought Durham played really well. We perhaps didn’t hit our straps early on and allowed them to get ahead of us.
“Keaton Jennings and Mark Wood played very well. They are standout players.”