DURHAM are sending 13 members of their under-15 squad to Dubai in early January to take part in the Insportz Gulf Trophy for the third time.

Director of Cricket Geoff Cook and Academy coach John Windows will travel with the team, who are defending the trophy.

Windows said: "This trip undoubtedly gives our players great experience playing on pitches that are conducive to spin. There are teams from India and Pakistan, as well as teams from the Gulf competing in the competition, which will really test us."

Squad: Richard Borrowdale (fast bowler, Barnard Castle), Kyle Davis (all-rounder, Eppleton), Farooq Din (leg spinner, Stockton), Matthew Haswell (leg spinner, Philadelphia), Owen Lancaster (off spinner, Marsden), Gregory Pringle (all-rounder, Willington), Ryan Pringle (batsman, Hetton Lyons), Ben Raine (opening batsman, Philadelphia), James Ritzema (opening batsman, Chester-le-Street), Matthew Sampson-Barnes (off spinner, Boldon) Rampreet Singh (opening batsman, Newcastle City), Thomas Sparrow (all-rounder, Barnard Castle), Sam Jobson (wicketkeeper, South Northumberland)

Durham have named three Cumbrians, including two from Cockermouth Cricket Club, in their Academy intake for 2007.

James Tincknell and Ben Stokes will be joined by Keswick's Paul Hindmarsh, while there is also a Scot, Aberdeen's Scott Redhead, among the dozen 16-20-year-olds.

Other than Tynemouth wicketkeeper Richard Coughtrie and Darlington off-spinner Richard Hopwood, who hails from Middleton-in-Teesdale, most of the others are from East Durham.

The rest of the Academy squad is: Luke Anderson (Ryhope), Scott Borthwick (Eppleton), Ross Kirtley (Castle Eden), Stuart Lobb (Seaton Carew), Andrew Smith (Chester-le-Street), Karl Turner (Esh Winning).

Durham membership is now available at £125, which offers admission to all home Liverpool Victoria County Championship, ECB Trophy, NatWest Pro40 and Durham A matches, plus reduced-rate Twenty20 Cup tickets and priority bookings for international fixtures at the Riverside in 2008. Junior membership costs £25 and for seniors it's £80.

For more details, or to book please call 0870 389 1991 or visit www.durhamccc.co.uk.

Sri Lanka claimed victory by 18 runs by the Duckworth-Lewis Method in the first Twenty20 clash with New Zealand at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington.

Sanath Jayasuriya (51 not out) was in a destructive mood as the tourists raced to 62 for one in pursuit of their victory target of 163, before rain called a halt to proceedings with one ball remaining in the sixth over.

Sri Lanka's superior run rate meant they were declared the winners of the first of the two-match series.

Veteran all-rounder Jayasuriya followed up his three wickets by scoring a record 23-ball Twenty20 fifty, including ten fours and a six. The powerful left-hander had been dropped by James Franklin off the bowling of Shane Bond, but that was never likely to make him adopt a more cautious approach.