Half-century a confidence boost for Poynter

WINTER WORK WITH THE BAT PAYS OFF AS GLOVEMAN STARTS WITH MAIDEN 50

GOOD Friday was a big day for Stuart Poynter – a massive one, he said.

For the first time in his career, the 26-year-old was starting a season as first choice behind the stumps. With Michael Richardson – Durham’s preferred gloveman 12 months earlier – alongside him in the team, he will have to play well to justify his position.

The questions against Poynter tend to relate to batting, rather than wicketkeeping. It is why he came in at eight against Nottinghamshire, while Richardson was freed up to come in at four.

Facing the best seam attack in County Championship Division Two – apart from his own – in conditions so murky the floodlights were on almost all day, Poynter could have been forgiven for cursing his luck when he came out to bat with Durham 69-6, but he counterattacked to a maiden First-Class 50.

“Being a wicketkeeper now you

have to contribute with the bat and that’s what we’ve been working on all winter,” he said after his 65 from Durham’s 162 all out after being put in. “We’ll just keep going from here and hopefully go from strength to strength.

“It was difficult but I just tried to be positive and busy – that’s how I try and play my game. It came off nicely and it was nice to get a few runs.

“It will be massive for my confidence.

“I probably haven’t performed as well as I wanted to last year when I got my chance so it’s a massive step forward for me. Hopefully I can move forward from this.

“It’s a massive season for me. It’s good to get the chance with the gloves and chip in with the bat, so it’s been a good start.”

It feels like all wicketkeepers the world over are counter-punchers, just as it seems all Durham cricketers are scrappers. Starting 70 points behind joint-leaders Nottinghamshire after a harsh winter points deduction and sitting out the opening round, they will need to be.

Poynter’s innings, then, was just the sort of thing most of the 2,190 supporters had come to see.

“You don’t really have to do it that way, it’s just the way I look to play – to be really busy, get lots of ones and hopefully a few boundaries, to tick away nicely,” he said.

There were a few streaky strokes early on, but they made way for eyecatching cover drives.

“The field went out a little bit and the ball kind of stopped doing a little bit – it felt that way, anyway,” he said. “Maybe the fact the lights went off for a bit did help – lucky me, really!”

At first it looked like Durham’s bowlers were going to enjoy themselves even more than Nottinghamshire’s, reducing the visitors to 7-3 to take the first bite into their 48-point deduction for getting into financial trouble.

But Samit Patel and Michael Lumb added 85 before Mark Wood emerged from a 75-minute bad light delay to claim the latter’s wicket. Play ended for the day on 96-4.

“I think we got it going a little bit before tea but afterwards it maybe stopped a bit until the few overs at the end,” said Poynter. “That’s how it goes, really.

“A couple of good balls and the momentum swings.”

Durham are in a fight within a fight.

Those on the pitch, like those on the terraces, are up for it.

“The mood’s really good, really positive,” said Poynter. “There’s nothing we can do about it (relegation and the points deduction) now, we’ve just got to fight as hard as we can.

“I think we’ve got a good group of lads who are up for the fight, so we’ll come back on Saturday and hopefully get a few wickets early.”