Thorp hits a personal best, as injured Warne struggles

MAN of the moment Callum Thorp almost trebled his previous best score in serious cricket to drag Durham out of the Rose Bowl mire yesterday.

Going in at 108 for seven, he hit Shane Warne for three sixes in scoring 75 before being last out with the total on 234, to which Hampshire replied with 123 for three.

Warne was the focus of Durham's preparations following their traumas against Mushtaq Ahmed last month, but it transpired that he is to return to Australia for a shoulder operation after this match and Hampshire had prepared a pitch to suit their medium pacers.

Ten of the 13 wickets which fell were the result of edged catches, and after the shenanigans at Stockton last week, it will be interesting to see if anything is said here, with pitch liaison officer Raman Subba Row observing that there was "a bit of juice" in the surface.

Warne, who will miss the Twenty20 programme but is expected back for Hampshire's next championship match in mid-July, was clearly not at his best.

Thorp was on 24 when he drove his first six over long-on and when he played the next ball back to Warne the leg-spinning legend hurled it back and conceded four overthrows.

Following his six for 17 against Scotland on Sunday, Thorp put on 71 for the last wicket with Graham Onions and also hit eight fours in his 85-ball innings.

Thorp's best first-class score was 26 for Western Australia against New South Wales in 2003 until he made 41 against Oxford University three weeks ago.

Unfortunately for Durham, his innings signalled that conditions had eased, which was confirmed as the Hampshire openers put on 59.

The first sign of this came with Gareth Breese making a season's-best 44, while Onions had little trouble in reaching 15 not out, which included a straight six off Warne.

One of Thorpe's sixes hit an elderly spectator on the head ten rows back at mid-wicket, drawing blood and necessitating medical attention.

Thorp blotted his copybook when an edge from Michael Carberry flew straight through his hands at gully in the second over bowled by Mark Davies on his first appearance of the season.

But it was Thorp who made the breakthrough as Carberry, a Kent reject, and fellow left-hander James Adams both went on the same total, Carberry edging to Phil Mustard, while in the next over Davies had his deserved reward when he moved one into Adams to have him lbw.

After losing the toss in the last two matches and finding his side at a disadvantage batting last, Dale Benkenstein chose to bat after calling correctly. The prospect of facing Warne in the fourth innings probably came into his calculations, but it must have been a tough decision on a greenish pitch.

The moisture seemed to have disappeared by mid-afternoon, when in his desperation to take a wicket during Thorp's onslaught Warne kept himself on and finished with none for 56 in 11 overs.

Despite having England prospect Chris Tremlett back after a side injury, Warne took the unusual step of opening up with Dimitri Mascarenhas.

The warning bells were already ringing when, in the third over, Jimmy Maher edged James Bruce between third slip and gully for four.

In the next over the left-hander pushed forward at a Mascarenhas swinger and edged the first of five catches to wicketkeeper Nic Pothas.

Gordon Muchall drove the next ball through mid-on for four but two balls later he drove airily at a ball swinging away from him and edged to Pothas.

There was some controversy when it became 22 for three as Gary Scott was adjudged to have played Mascarenhas into his boot before the ball popped up to silly point.

With Scott standing his ground, umpire Jeff Evans, who did Durham few favours on his visit to Riverside for the Lancashire match, consulted Vanburn Holder at square leg.

As the batsman had his back to him it is unlikely that Holder would have had a clear view of what happened, but Scott had to trudge dejectedly away.

While Jon Lewis dug in, Benkenstein played comfortably enough but should have become Mascarenhas' fourth victim when he was dropped on 13 at second slip by Sean Ervine.

The Zimbabwean all-rounder then replaced Mascarenhas and Benkenstein drove his first ball wide of mid-off for four.

But after contributing 22 to the stand of 34, the captain edged a good ball from Ervine to Adams at first slip.

Lewis's checked drive at the first ball of the next over, from another medium pacer in Australian Dominic Thornley, resulted in an edge to Warne at second slip.

Off the next five balls Phil Mustard scored 11 runs, one more than Lewis managed in 24 overs. But on 19 the wicketkeeper recklessly tried to hook a head high ball from Tremlett from outside off stump and edged to Pothas.

Ottis Gibson was also culpable as he sliced a drive to point before Breese and Thorp began the recovery with a stand of 41.

Breese cut and cover drove impressively, but Warne's inventive captaincy almost snared him when an uppish drive bisected short cover and short extra, who were no more than eight yards apart.

He fell when he edged an excellent ball from Bruce to Pothas, who also pouched Davies to make it 163 for nine.

Thorp brought up the 200 and his own maiden half-century by running Warne to third man for two and as Hampshire's frustrations grew Ervine then Tremlett began to bowl bouncers at Onions.

Even Warne tried one, which Thorp hooked for four before he drove at a wide ball from Tremlett and edged to Warne at second slip.

Scorecard

Hampshire v Durham at The Rose Bowl

Durham First Innings
J J B Lewis c Warne b Thornely 10
(edged drive to second slip 69b)
J P Maher c Pothas b Mascarenhas 7
(edged away swinger 11b , 1-4)
G J Muchall c Pothas b Mascarenhas 4
(edged loose drive 4b, 1-4)
G M Scott c Adams b Mascarenhas 7
(played on to boot, caught at silly point 19b)
D M Benkenstein c Adams b Ervine 22
(edged away swinger to first slip 39b, 4-4s)
G R Breese c Pothas b Bruce 44
(edged good ball 66b, 5-4s)
P Mustard c Pothas b Tremlett 19
(edged attempted hook 31b, 3-4s)
O D Gibson c Thornely b Tremlett 2
(sliced drive to point 26b)
C D Thorp c Warne b Tremlett 75
(edged drive to second slip 85b, 8-4s, 3-6s)
M Davies c Pothas b Ervine 10
(edged away swinger 21b, 2-4s)
G Onions not out 15
Extras b5 lb2 nb12 pens 0 19
Total (68.2 overs). 234
Fall: 1-10 2-14 3-22 4-56 5-60 6-92 7-108 8-149
9-163
Bowling: Bruce 8-1-33-1; Mascarenhas 15-7-25
-3; Tremlett 13.2-1-51-3; Ervine 16-3-45-2;
Thornely 5-3-17-1; Warne 11-1-56-0

Hampshire First Innings
J H K Adams lbw b Davies 29
(ball nipped into left-hander 58b, 4-6s)
M A Carberry c Mustard b Thorp 20
(pushed forward, edged to keeper 45b, 4-4s)
J P Crawley not out 22
(57B, 4-4S))
D J Thornely c Mustard b Gibson 21
(pushed forward, edged to keeper 35b, 5-4s)
C C Benham not out 12
(19B, 2-4S)
Extras b 5 lb 5 nb 9 pens 0, 19
Total 3 wkts (35 overs) 123
Fall: 1-59 2-59 3-91
To Bat: N Pothas, S M Ervine, A D ascarenhas,
S K Warne, C T Tremlett, J T A Bruce.
Bonus Pts: Hampshire 3 Durham 1
Bowling: Gibson 11-4-48-1; Onions 4-0-14-0;
Davies 8-5-9-1; Thorp 6-1-24-1; Benkenstein 6-
2-18-0.