Bowlers leave it late to steer Durham to glory
COMEBACK HALTS NORTHANTS IN ROYAL LONDON CUP GAME
DURHAM’S bowlers produced a fine comeback to keep their Royal London One Day Cup hopes alive with a five-run win over Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.
Tom Latham made 86 in 93 balls to steer Durham to 256-7 on a slow wicket before Will Smith and Matt Dixon induced a Northants collapse of 4-20 in five overs.
Sixteen were needed from the final over and, despite the first ball disappearing for six, Nathan Rimmington held his nerve as Northants could only make 251-9.
Durham captain Tom Latham said: “It is very satisfying to come here and win a close game.
“We had a similar game against Derby which we lost so it was nice to correct a few mistakes.
“We lost early wickets but put a couple of partnerships together and then upped the rate at the end.
“We would have liked a few more but had a competitive score and the bowlers did the job.
“They were cruising, always up with the Duckworth Lewis rate when it looked like the rain was going to come - but we managed to keep taking wickets towards the back end.”
As in their previous chase against Lancashire on Wednesday, the home side was in complete control of the chase at 167-3 in the 37th over with Alex Wakely and Adam Rossington sharing a stand of 129 for the fourth wicket to revive Northants from 38-3.
With the weather seemingly closing in, they played carefully to stay ahead of the DLS score but could never bring down the asking rate down for the full 50-over chase. When the wickets fell, the required rate spiralled and, even though Rory Kleinveldt kept Northants alive with 41 in 27 balls with three fours and two sixes, the task proved beyond them. Wakely made 79, passing 50 in 69 balls with just two boundaries. Rossington also passed 50, his effort in 77 balls. However, having lifted Smith over mid-off for four and then over midwicket for six, he holed out to deep midwicket for 66 as Durham regained hope. Smith (pictured left) soon trapped Luke Procter lbw trying to reverse sweep.
Dixon then produced two wickets in four balls.
The Durham innings needed a vital 86 from 93 balls from captain Latham to steer the visitors to a competitive score.
He survived a huge lbw appeal against Sanderson on three but struck Nathan Buck through cover for his first boundary, advanced at Graeme White to lift him over midwicket to raise the Durham hundred in the 26th before raising 50 in 65 balls.
He eventually slapped a slower ball from Rory Kleinveldt straight to extra-cover for 86 after sharing partnerships of 90 for the fourth wicket with Smith and then 62 for the fifth wicket with Stuart Poynter – stands which saw Durham recover from 35-3 after 10 overs.
When Durham were in need of a late kick, Gareth Harte provided one. He slog-swept White for the first six of the game and swung Sanderson to the midwicket fence, before driving the same bowler through the covers.
In the final over, he heaved Kleinveldt over the cow corner fence to help add 48 runs in the last five overs – a late rally which proved decisive.
Northants’ captain Alex Wakely admitted: “We were a bit sloppy in the field, a few chances went down and a few too many runs were scored at the end of the innings to give them a good score on a slow pitch.”