Durham record double over Derbyshire (From Durham Times)

Durham record double over Derbyshire

8:00am Thursday 28th June 2012 in Match Reports By Tim Wellock

FOR the second time in three days Durham were involved in a totally one-sided Twenty20 match last night.

But after the thrashing at Old Trafford on Monday they were the dominant force this time as they completed the double over Derbyshire.

Herschelle Gibbs made an unbeaten 83, Durham's record T20 score, as they won by eight wickets with 17 balls to spare.

But they know they will have to beat far tougher opposition at Trent Bridge tomorrow night to keep alive their hopes of progress.

The hospitality boxes heaved again at the Emirates Durham ICG, which is a marketing triumph as the occupants evidently found the Chablis and canapes more attractive than Onions and Mustard.

They did begin to spill outside as Phil Mustard led the pursuit of 132 to win. He should have been out for 21, when he gloved a fairly simple leg-side chance to Tom Poynton. But the ball went through the wicketkeeper's gloves for four, denying Sunderland's Mark Turner a wicket.

Otherwise it was plain sailing as Mustard and Gibbs had 60 on the board after seven overs before ex-Yorkshire spinner David Wainwright applied a brake.

It was strange that he should come on after the other left-arm spinner, Chesney Hughes, whose two overs of dross cost 20 runs.

With the opening stand worth 70 in nine overs, there was no great need for haste but Mustard went down the pitch to Wainwright and was stumped for 35.

Despite his lack of form, Dale Benkenstein promoted himself to No 3 but made only seven off 12 balls before holing out at long-off the first time he opened his shoulders.

Gibbs had seven fours in his 42-ball half-century and in the 16th over he drove Hughes over extra cover for six then clobbered a long hop to the cover boundary.

He then hit Rana Naved-ul-Hasan for two leg-side sixes before pulling the winning four off Turner.

Derbyshire's 131 for seven was more than had looked likely for most of their innings, with 45 coming off the last four overs.

Ex-players have a habit of returning to haunt Durham and it was Garry Park's unbeaten 29 off 20 balls which gave the visitors a respectable total. Now captaining the seconds, he was recalled especially for this match.

Derbyshire chose to bat on a cloudy evening and took ten off the first over but needed a further four overs to double that tally, while losing two wickets.

Chris Rushworth, brought in for Mitch Claydon, bowled the opening over and the left-handed Usman Khawaja cut him for four then clipped the next ball to the mid-wicket boundary.

There was also a wide, which Rushworth repeated with the first ball of his second over before Wes Durston flipped a straight ball behind square for four then pulled a catch to Ben Stokes on the square leg boundary.

After his mauling by Lancashire's Steven Croft on Wednesday, Graham Onions bounced back impressively. He conceded only two runs in his first two overs and struck with his ninth ball.

He swung it away from left-hander Ross Whiteley, who followed it and edged to Phil Mustard, recording a five-ball duck.

Onions bowled straight through his four overs to finish with one for 17, but when Stokes replaced him at the Finchale End his second and third balls were wides.

He conceded only five runs off the bat, however, as Derbyshire limped to 56 after ten overs, the same as Durham mustered at Old Trafford.

Liam Plunkett bowled four lively overs for 25 runs before Durham turned to the spinners with immediate success as Gareth Breese and Scott Borthwick both struck with their sixth ball.

Khawaja finally went for a big hit and was well caught just inside the long-on boundary by Onions for 33, made off 38 balls, then Hughes went down the pitch and tried to hit Borthwick over Lumley Castle. He missed and was bowled.

Derbyshire skipper Wayne Madsen had made 27 off 30 balls when he skied a straight drive off Borthwick and Johann Myburgh ran in from long-on to hold a well-judged catch.

At 78 for five in the 15th over Derbyshire needed something special.

They had Park at the crease with all-rounder Jon Clare, who hit Borthwick for four and six as 14 came off the 17th over.

Fearing that Clare might also get after Breese, who had bowled three overs for 13, Benkenstein recalled Stokes and Clare skied a leg-stump full toss to Rushworth at backward square leg.

Rushworth was recalled for the 19th over and opened up with two full tosses, which Park hammered to the leg-side boundary as he took 15 off the first five balls. Rana Naved-ul-Hasan was bowled by the last one.

Tom Poynton pulled Stokes for six in the final over to take Derbyshire past the 130 mark they would have seen as their minimum requirement. It turned out to be nowhere near enough.