Durham make finals day - at last
9:39am Wednesday 23rd July 2008
DURHAM last night recovered from the shock of quickly losing the four international stars at the top of their order to romp into the Twenty20 finals day at Hampshire's Rose Bowl ground on Saturday.
It was left to man-of-the-moment Will Smith to repair the unexpected damage with a 37-ball half-century, then the big guns down the order blasted 47 off the last three overs.
That took Durham to 163 for eight after being put in by Glamorgan, who then lost Richard Grant to the first ball of their innings, followed by skipper David Hemp in Liam Plunkett's opening over.
On an excellent pitch, the top batsmen missed the boat, but Durham's far greater depth proved decisive as Glamorgan subsided to 119 all out.
Clearly in good touch following his unbeaten 201 at Guildford last week, Smith quickly showed that he has a higher gear than the one he used for most of his eight-hour vigil against Surrey.
His 51 got Durham into the game, but after putting on 53 with Dale Benkenstein after coming together at 49 for four in the seventh over both fell in the 16th.
The captain flat-batted a catch to long-on, then Smith pulled his fifth four to reach 50, only to depart next ball. With an lbw appeal ringing in his ears he set off for a leg bye with the ball heading in the direction of gully, but was rightly sent back by Shaun Pollock as Dean Cosker swooped to hit the stumps.
Durham were 116 for six with three overs left when the value of having Gareth Breese's one-day expertise at No 8 was underlined.
Off the second ball he faced he made room to angle a leg-stump ball from Yorkshireman Alex Wharf wide of gully for four.
The next ball was wide of leg stump and Breese glanced it to the long leg boundary. A brace of twos through and over the covers followed before he drove the last ball for six over long-on, with 19 coming off the over.
Breese had made 20 off nine balls when he holed out at deep mid-wicket off Jamie Dalrymple's off spin, leaving Pollock on strike for the last over.
Glamorgan recalled 18-year-old James Harris, who had taken two for 19 in three overs at the start of the innings, but his inexperience betrayed him now.
Pollock pulled and drove the first two balls for four and six then skied a return catch off a slower ball. Left with three balls to face, Plunkett drove a huge six over long-on inbetween a four and two as 22 came off the over.
There was potential for some pre-match controversy when Sky's televising of the toss appeared to show Hemp waiting until the coin hit the floor and taking a look at it before calling "heads."
But after the shenanigans a fortnight earlier, after which Yorkshire's expulsion gave Glamorgan this unexpected chance, no-one was in the mood for argument and Benkenstein would not have objected to batting first in excellent conditions.
A sunny evening had lost some of its lustre for the 6,000 crowd as early as the fourth over, when the trio of Durham batsmen most likely to provide them with some thrills were back in the hutch.
In the second over Phil Mustard tried to hit a straight ball from Harris over mid-wicket and lost his middle stump.
Then Paul Collingwood played outside a ball from David Harrison which was angled into him and was lbw for two.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who has very little expereince of a form of cricket which is never likely to suit him, opened up with a couple of majestic strokes then tried to hit Harris over mid-on.
He miscued straight to Hemp and was gone for seven with Glamorgan celebrating as though they could scarcely believe their luck.
After his brilliant start Harris, who made his first-class debut before aged 16, strayed a little in his third over, allowing Smith to follow a four to long leg with another wide of mid-on.
Ten came off the over and Glamorgan turned to the first of their three spinners in veteran Robert Croft, who struck with his fifth ball when Michael Di Venuto drove a return catch.
Left-arm spinner Cosker came on at the other end and only seven came off his first two overs, while a perfectly-struck sweep by Smith off Croft was brilliantly stopped at deep square leg by Dalrymple.
In Cosker's next over, however, he pulled two balls down short and Smith smashed them in front of mid-wicket for four and six.
Wharf replaced Cosker and was also guilty of dropping short as Benkenstein pulled him for four, but the captain was not quite at his best and departed in Wharf's second over.
It scarcely mattered as Pollock, Breese and Plunkett smashed 52 runs between them off only 24 balls to post a total which was always likely to be too much for the Welshmen.
Plunkett's first ball took out Grant's off stump, and although a couple of wides he completed an eventful over by swinging one away from left-hander Hemp, who edged a drive to Mustard.
Plunkett picked up a third wicket in the fifth over when Mike Powell drove to Smith at extra cover, and it looked all over for Glamorgan when Tom Maynard was flukily run out.
Steve Harmison was in his second over when he stuck out his right boot and deflected a drive by Dalrymple into the non-striker's stumps. With the benefit of Sky's replay the third umpire was able to confirm that Maynard was stranded, as he was later when the dangerous Wharf was run out by a good throw from Smith.
Dalrymple tried to rally Glamorgan, making 32 before driving Collingwood to Benkenstein at deep mid-off, while left-handed wicketkeeper Mark Wallace briefly threatened.
He took three fours in an over off Breese, but was bowled by a slower ball from Steve Harmison for 26.
Glamorgan had as many on the board as Durham after 17 overs, but with only two wickets left and Pollock coming back on to bowl they had no chance of matching their hosts.
Pollock duly took the last two wickets with two overs left unused.