GIVING up the demon drink has evidently worked wonders for Durham bowler Chris Rushworth, who twice routed spineless Northamptonshire yesterday to storm into the record books.

Previously without a five-wicket haul this season, he took 15 in 18 overs as the relegated visitors expired without a fight on a blameless Chester-le-Street pitch.

They were dismissed for 83 and 90 to lose by an innings and 219 runs.

They batted for a total of 40 overs and two balls and left Rushworth with match figures of 18-3-95-15.

The 28-year-old seam bowler from Sunderland decided to abstain from alcohol for the whole of 2014 to raise money for the Professional Cricketers’ Association and Save The Children.

Cuddling his two-year-old son, Henry, afterwards he said: “Giving up drink is the best thing I’ve ever done. The benefits fitness-wise have been a real eyeopener.

I’ll obviously be tempted to toast this success and I hope to be tempted again after our Royal London Cup final at Lord’s on Saturday. But I’ll stick to a few soft drinks.” While Graham Onions, Mark Wood, Jamie Harrison and Usman Arshad have missed a huge chunk of the season through injury, Rushworth has played in all Durham’s championship games.

He took nine for 52 in the first innings, the best analysis in the country this season, and his match figures of 18-3-95-15 beat the record of 14 wickets in a match for Durham, set by current bowling coach Alan Walker at Chelmsford in 1995.

Walker said: “That was on a flat pitch where I had to bowl a lot of overs and we still got hammered.

“There’s always an element of wanting to hang on to a record but I’m very happy for it to go to a fellow seamer who I’ve coached. As a line and length bowler he’s in my tradition but he’s more skilful than me.

“He’s got fitter in the last two years and can bowl long spells. There have been lots of occasions this season when he has regularly beaten the bat and has deserved more wickets.”

Rushworth added: “It’s been an incredible day’s cricket – everything has happened so fast. There have been times when I have bowled as well as that this season with little reward.

“There wasn’t that much swing, but the pitch was offering some help so I just tried to hit the seam and get the ball in the right area. I was also helped by some good catches.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about a ten-for in the first innings, but I’ll take nine. And getting the game over quickly has given us an extra day’s rest before Lord’s.”