DURHAM’S hopes that a home friendly against Sri Lanka A would help them return to winning ways were shattered in the space of three balls yesterday.

A hat-trick by lanky seamer Lahiru Gamage plunged them to 46 for five and they never recovered in succumbing to an eight-wicket defeat.

Gamage should have had four wickets in four balls, but Niroshan Dickwella dropped a regulation chance offered by fellow wicketkeeper Stuart Poynter.

Deputising for the rested Phil Mustard, Poynter made 36 on his first team debut and will now face the same opponents three times in an Ireland team captained by his elder brother Andrew.

Considered a better gloveman than Mustard, Poynter has something to prove with the bat and appeared to enjoy the luck of the Irish as he went for his shots.

At least he had a better day than the other fringe first teamers as Ryan Pringle was the middle victim of the hat-trick and Paul Coughlin made a four-ball duck.

Half-centuries by Keaton Jennings and Gareth Breese partially spared Durham’s blushes, only for the last four wickets to go down for five runs.

They were all out for 196 with 6.4 of their 50 overs unused and the visitors reached their target in 41.3 overs.

Although they boasted only one Test cap between them, three of the tourists have played in one-day internationals and several played against England Lions last winter, when Graham Onions enjoyed some success.

He is still struggling to find his form following his back injury, but was out of luck yesterday as the tourists’ lefthanded openers put on 100.

Mahela Uduwatte was dropped on eight when Scott Borthwick dived for what should have been Breese’s catch at first slip. And Danushka Gunathilaka tried to clip Onions to mid-wicket only for the ball to fly over backward point for four.

It summed up Durham’s day when Uduwatte reached 50 courtesy of four overthrows.

Breese then bowled him, but Gunathilaka remained unbeaten on 87.

It was not ideal preparation for the Royal London Cup, in which Durham start a hectic programme with a trip to Taunton next Sunday.

But at least they can concentrate on that in practice this week as there is nothing at stake in their final two Twenty20 matches on Thursday and Friday.

Durham hope to have a better idea today whether Calum MacLeod will be fit by Sunday after suffering a leg injury during Friday’s T20 defeat at Leicester.

His absence allowed Jennings to stake his claim by top-scoring with 65, although he would probably have preferred to show his one-day prowess by continuing his surprisingly fluent start.

Coming in at 32 for two, he opened up with an off drive, which produced an all-run four in keeping with Durham’s sprightly early approach after being put in.

In the next over Jennings square drove a four then drove another boundary through mid-on to reach 12 off five balls. But then came the hat-trick and he was obliged to revert to his usual watchful mode.

Accumulating mainly through nudges into the leg side, he didn’t find the boundary again in reaching 50 off 71 balls.

He then reverse swept a four off left-arm spinner Chathuranga de Silva, but his attempt to step on the gas saw him stumped.

Gamage finished with five for 34. He had Mark Stoneman caught behind in the fourth over but did not look particularly threatening until Borthwick carelessly guided a catch to second slip in the ninth.

In his next over Gamage took his hat-trick, starting when Michael Richardson edged a drive to Dickwella.

Pringle shuffled across and was lbw, repeating the firstball dismissal he suffered in his last appearance at Riverside in the Twenty20 match against Yorkshire.

Gordon Muchall played forward and was also lbw, just as he has been in his last four championship innings.

Poynter, a 23-year-old Londoner with Irish ancestry, was bowled when left-arm spinner Sachith Pathirana turned one past his forward defensive shot.

He has been released by Durham to play against Sri Lanka A at Stormont on Wednesday and Friday before finishing the series at Coleraine next Sunday.

Adeel Shafique, who scored 62 for MCC Young Cricketers against Durham seconds last month, will deputise for Poynter in a Second X1 Trophy match against Yorkshire at Marske today.

The sides also meet in a three-day fixture which begins tomorrow at Harrogate.

Pringle and Coughlin will stay with the first team squad.