Durham can still win title (From The Northern Echo)

Durham can still win title

9:00am Monday 5th September 2011 in Durham CCC Match Reports By Tim Wellock

HOW things can change. After taking only 19 points from three defeats and a draw, Durham's title hopes seemed to be over.

But after banking 23 points at Hove while their three rivals stuttered against the teams at the bottom, Durham are seven points clear at the top.

They have only the home game against Worcestershire left, starting next Monday, while the others play their game in hand this week.

Warwickshire, who are seven points behind, are at home to Nottinghamshire and Lancashire, three further adrift, play resurgent Hampshire at Liverpool.

Hampshire were so far adrift, it seemed they would come into this fixture with nothing to play for. But they made it three wins on the trot by ending Somerset's title challenge by completing an innings win on Saturday and can still stave off relegation.

There was a time on Saturday morning when it was clear why Durham had batted on until they led by 520. The way Matt Prior was playing, he looked as though he could have knocked them off almost single-handedly.

Still needing 402 when they resumed on 119 for four, Sussex scored 155 in the morning session. But they lost three more wickets and it was all over 35 minutes after lunch.

Ian Blackwell finished with five for 102, his first five-wicket haul of the season, as Sussex were dismissed for 312 and Durham won by 208 runs.

Prior can look the best batsman in England, and why Craig Kieswetter is preferred in the England one-day team is a mystery to many people.

Perhaps the answer is that Prior has a tendency to give it away, as he did on Saturday after making 77 off 88 balls with 15 fours, three of which came in Scott Borthwick's first over of the day.

The leg-spinner was brought back to earth after his maiden five-wicket haul in the first innings as his first nine overs of the morning cost 58 runs.

There was no slogging from Prior. He simply played authoritative strokes of the highest class, particularly his on-driving. But he got out carelessly, falling lbw when trying to paddle Blackwell to fine leg.

Michael Yardy, who has been in terrific form, also played well for 34 before he was well caught off bat and pad at silly mid-off by Will Smith.

The first to go had been nightwatchman James Anyon, caught at short leg by Mark Stoneman in the day's sixth over for two.

The bowler was Mitch Claydon, but he conceded 28 in four overs before Blackwell replaced him.

The Onions and Mustard combination took over after lunch, accounting for Wayne Parnell and Amjad Khan before a final flourish from Monty Panesar.

There cannot be many instances of a No 11 scoring 18 runs, all from sixes. But his attempt to clear the short leg-side boundary again off Blackwell resulted in him being bowled to wrap up the game.

Now Durham will hope for rain this week, or for their rivals to keep on wobbling.

SCOREBOARD

Sussex v Durham
At Hove.
Overnight: Durham 372 (M D Stoneman 128,
D M Benkenstein 64) and 364-7dec (W R
Smith 100, I D Blackwell 61, P D Collingwood
51; C D Nash 4-103).Sussex 218 (M
H Yardy 66; S G Borthwick 5-80, G Onions
4-67) and 119-4 (E CJoyce 57).

Sussex Second Innings
M J Prior lbw b Blackwell 77
J E Anyon c Stoneman b Claydon 7
M H Yardy c Stoneman b Blackwell 34
B C Brown not out 27
W D Parnell c Mustard b Onions 44
A Khan c Mustard b Onions 4
M S Panesar b Blackwell 18
Extras (b4 lb1 nb2 pens 0) 7
Total (74.1 overs) 312
Fall: 1-8 2-25 3-71 4-114 5-137 6-208 7-222
8-287 9-291
Bowling: Onions 16-4-49-3. Thorp 6-1-38-1.
Blackwell 26.1-5-102-5. Claydon 9-2-46-1.
Borthwick 16-1-72-0. W R Smith 1-1-0-0.
Durham (23pts) beat Sussex (4pts) by 208 runs