OUTGUNNED JETS SLIP TO FINISH AT BOTTOM
LEICESTERSHIRE LEAPFROG DURHAM IN ONE-DAY CUP AS DELPORT LEADS THE WAY
Durham finished bottom of the Royal London One-Day Cup’s North Group after a crushing five-wicket defeat yesterday.
Cameron Delport’s impressive century ensured Leicestershire finished their campaign with a fivewicket victory to leapfrog fellow strugglers Durham into eighth place in the table at the Fischer County Ground.
The South African lefthander hit 16 fours and two sixes in making 122 from 128 balls as the Foxes chased down Durham’s total of 240.
Leicestershire had taken a total of just seven wickets in their previous five matches this season, but began making inroads quickly after Durham skipper Tom Latham had won the toss and chose to bat.
Opener Graham Clark had scored 13 when he came down the wicket and drove firmly at Ben Raine, only for the bowler to take a fine onehanded catch at the second attempt.
Gareth Harte and Michael Richardson took the score on to 74, but Harte was always struggling to time the ball, and on 35 tried to work a straight delivery from Tom Wells into the leg side, missed and was given leg before.
Latham went in the same over, the New Zealand international facing just three balls before edging a Wells off-cutter to wicketkeeper Lewis Hill.
When Michael Richardson, hampered by a hamstring injury, was dismissed in the same way by Richard Jones for 43, Durham’s prospects of setting a really testing target went with him.
The middle order also failed to contribute with Zak Chappell’s second five-over spell yielding the young fast bowler three wickets for just 10 runs.
Fine catches by Harry Swindells, at midwicket off Will Smith, and by Delport, at backward point off Mark Wood, sandwiched a fine delivery which uprooted Ryan Pringle’s leg stump.
Having been in danger of subsiding to their lowest List A score against Leicestershire (147), a ninth-wicket stand of exactly 100 between 21-year-old debutant Ryan Davies and Barry McCarthy ensured the visitors avoided that ignominy by a distance.
Davies, batting sensibly, reached his 50 off 49 balls before McCarthy’s attempt to step to the offside and scoop the ball over wicketkeeper Hill resulted in him losing his middle stump to Jones.
An opening partnership of 93 between Delport and Horton, compiled in just 14 overs, meant Leicestershire were never under any real pressure in their chase.
Delport and fellow South African Colin Ackermann added 109 for the third wicket before Clark, bowling his occasional leg-spin for the first time in List A cricket, bowled Delport with his first delivery.
Remarkably, Clark then had Ackermann caught behind four balls later, and when List A debutant Harry Dearden missed his attempted sweep and was also bowled two overs later, Clark had three wickets for just four runs.
To the relief of the home support, Ateeq Javid and Wells steered Leicestershire home without further alarm.
Fast bowler Matt Salisbury, 25, took 0-45 in his seven overs on his Durham debut after signing on a onemonth loan from the MCC Young Cricketers.