Durham add Thorp to squad

11:04am Wednesday 14th May 2008

DURHAM have added Callum Thorp to their squad for the championship match against Yorkshire, starting at Riverside today.

The fact that the Australian is no mug with the bat could see him included as the fourth seamer at the expense of Ben Harmison.

Durham had the medium pace back-up of Paul Collingwood in the first innings and Garry Park in the second at Old Trafford last week, but their places now go to returning skipper Dale Benkenstein and Neil McKenzie.

Thorpfs last championship appearance, prior to a back injury, was in the second match of last season at Headingley, where he scored 30 not out in the second innings after Darren Gough and Matthew Hoggard had reduced Durham to 17 for five.

That effectively settled a game which Yorkshire won by nine wickets, but Durham won the return by six wickets, with Ottis Gibson starting his prolific run with a ten-wicket match haul.

With Graham Onions returning, Mitch Claydon is likely to step down, although he has been retained in the squad.

Itfs a game Durham need to win as they have only 11 points from a rain-ruined home draw against Surrey and the heavy defeat at Old Trafford.

They are 19 points behind third-placed Yorkshire and their first requirement will be to add substantially to the one batting point they have gained.

Michael Di Venuto is due a change of luck after being run out three times through no fault of his own. Coach Geoff Cook said: gMichael has also been out padding up twice, but inbetween his bizarre dismissals he has looked good.

gYoung players need the experienced ones to help them and Michael was really relishing the challenge in the second innings at Old Trafford until he was run out.

gIt wonft affect his approach.

He has scored over 20,000 firstclass runs so he knows itfs part of the game and hefs very determined to get a big score behind him.h It was in the third match last season that Di Venuto scored 204 not out at home to Kent, and at that stage he was averaging well over 100, whereas he currently has 47 runs from four championship innings.

Kyle Coetzer will hope to draw on the memory of his 91 at home to Yorkshire last season as he has 32 runs from four innings.

Durham (from): D M Benkenstein (capt), M J Di Venuto, M D Stoneman, K J Coetzer, N D McKenzie, P Mustard, B W Harmison, C D Thorp, P J Wiseman, M Davies, G Onions, S J Harmison, M E Claydon.

Geoff Cook has high hopes that 18-year-old Andrew Smith can kick on after scoring 158 to help Durham Academy beat Newcastle.

Mark Stoneman scored 130 for the visitors, but their 308 for six was not enough as Smith led the Academy home by five wickets.

Smith, whose father Keith is a coach at the Chester-le-Street club, also bowls leg spin and Cook said: gItfs an important year for him as itfs his third year in the academy and we donft usually keep them longer than that.

gHis 150 was a fantastic innings, but he needs to be continually stretched so that we can decide whether he can step up to the next level.h

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