Durham UCCE v Durham (University Match) : Day Three

WHEN you're not sure where your next first-class game is coming from all opportunities are to be seized, and Neil Killeen duly kept his name in the Durham frame yesterday.

Given the new ball against Durham University at the Racecourse, the 31-year-old seamer took four for 22 in an 11-over spell which wrecked any hope the students entertained of chasing a victory target of 301.

They were all out for 137 against what is currently Durham's second-string attack, with Killeen starting the match towards the back of the queue aiming to break into the first team.

He has no wish to be seen purely as a one-day bowler and went very close to a hat-trick as the students crumbled from 27 without loss to 49 for five.

The watching Tim Lamb, former chief executive of the ECB, would not have been impressed to see his son, Nick, have his bails trimmed when shouldering arms, then Greg Thompson fell lbw to the next delivery.

The bowler could only hold his head in his hands in frustration when Joe Buttleman offered no stroke to the hat-trick ball and it passed within a whisker of the stumps.

Killeen's other two victims both edged to wicketkeeper Phil Mustard, who held eight catches in a match which did little for the reputation of university centres of excellence.

There was a decent spell of quickish bowling in the morning from David Balcombe, who also top scored with 25 before Liam Plunkett returned to knock out his middle stump when only two wickets were required after tea.

Otherwise the only feat of note from the students was a spell of four for 26 from seamer Patrick Foster, but he owed three of his scalps to Durham's determination to press on for a pre-lunch declaration.

When 13 runs, including two leg-glanced fours, came off Plunkett's first seven balls it seemed the university might produce a similar challenge to the one four years ago on this ground, when they reached 285 for seven in their second innings.

But Plunkett settled down to have Nick Prowting caught behind for 19 and took the last two wickets to finish with three for 40, while there were also three victims for Mitch Claydon.

The luckless bowler was Mark Davies, who might reasonably expect to be pushing Plunkett for a first-team place given his record as a wicket-taker prior to his back problems.

Having to come on after Killeen had effectively settled the game didn't help Davies, and although he got past the edge several times, he suffered from the tail-enders feeling able to adopt a carefree approach.

Off-spinner Paul Wiseman didn't even get a bowl, although he did have the chance to bat at five after Ben Harmison added only two to his overnight 23 before slapping a catch to point.

The New Zealander unveiled a penchant for steering short balls over the slips in cracking 32 off 43 balls, which included a pulled six.

Phil Mustard also pulled a six, which just evaded the fielder at deep mid-wicket, on his way to 35 off 27 balls before handing Foster one of his wickets.

It was all a little slapdash, but the aim of reaching a 300 lead in time to have 20 minutes bowling before lunch was achieved and Durham declared on 141 for seven when Plunkett was bowled going for a big hit.

Those 20 minutes produced no alarms, but after Durham's acting captain Will Smith missed a sharp chance at gully in the first over after the break, both openers fell in the next two overs.

Killeen's accuracy and movement proved too much for the middle order as he showed that he'll be ready for championship action, if required.

SCORECARD

Durham UCCE v Durham at Racecourse

Overnight: Durham UCCE 238. Durham 397-5
dec (K J Coetzer 153 no, W RSmith 105, B W
Harmison 82) and 45-2.

Durham Second Innings
B W Harmison c Evans b Balcombe 25
P Mustard c Lamb b Foster 35
P J Wiseman b Foster 32
W R Smith c Dixey b Foster 3
K J Coetzer not out 19
L E Plunkett b Foster 4
Extras (lb1 nb6 pens 0) 7
Total 7 wkts dec (37.1 overs) 141
Fall: 1-11 2-43 3-56 4-102 5-106 6-127 7-141
Did Not Bat: M Davies, M E Claydon, N Killeen.
Bowling: Balcombe 17-2-70-2. Williams 9-1-35-
0. Foster 9.1-1-26-4. Lamb 2-0-9-1.

Durham UCCE Second Innings
P G Dixey c Mustard b Killeen 7
N R Prowting c Mustard b Plunkett 19
L J Evans c Mustard b Killeen 20
N J Lamb b Killeen 1
G J Thompson lbw b Killeen 0
J E Buttleman c W R Smith b Claydon 4
J C Morris c Mustard b Claydon 18
D J Balcombe b Plunkett 25
P J Foster c Mustard b Claydon 19
W T Dobson not out 13
R E Williams b Plunkett 7
Extras (nb4 pens 0) 4
Total (38.2 overs) 137
Fall: 1-27 2-31 3-32 4-32 5-49 6-71 7-72 8-112
9-115
Bowling: Plunkett 10.2-2-40-3. Killeen 11-2-22-
4. Claydon 9-4-26-3. Davies 5-0-31-0. B W
Harmison 3-0-18-0.
Durham beat Durham UCCE by 163 runs