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Scotland v Durham (Friends Provident Trophy)

DURHAM overcame more misfortune and a batting display, which suggested a lack of form and confidence, to beat Scotland in Edinburgh yesterday.

The victory kept alive their slim hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Friends Provident Trophy, with their three remaining games all at home.

After struggling to 181 for nine in their 50 overs, Durham reduced Scotland to 52 for five before the same sort of murk which had preceded the match closed in again and ended play.

Under the Duckworth-Lewis method Durham won 46 runs.

Things were looking ominous when Neil Killeen retired with a calf strain after one ball of Scotland's ninth over.

Ben Harmison replaced him and began with a full toss and a long hop as the dangerous home captain, Ryan Watson, took ten runs off his first four balls.

At that point Scotland were 30 for one, but the next ball swung in to have Watson lbw, which proved a huge turning point and should have earned Harmison the man of the match award as he had top-scored with 29.

However, the Scottish press decided it should go to former Yorkshire bowler John Blain for taking three wickets.

Callum Thorp then switched ends and struck with his first ball, earning another lbw verdict from umpire Rob Bailey to get rid of Colin Smith, who steered Scotland to victory against Durham on their last but one visit to The Grange.

The last time they visited, two years ago, Thorp took six for 17 and Durham seemed to have opted for a horses for courses policy as they handed the Australian his first senior appearance for a year.

Despite the slowness of the pitch, they also retained Steve Harmison at the expense of Mark Davies, who had to endure Durham fans repeatedly telling him how effective he would have been on a strip which helped the seamers.

Thorp took a second wicket when Fraser Watts drove to mid-off, where substitute Paul Wiseman held a juggled catch.

Gordon Muchall, brought in on a ground where he has made runs, held two good catches at third slip, the first by his bootstraps to make the initial breakthrough off Killeen's bowling.

Muchall also caught Neil McCallum off Steve Harmison, who came on for the tenth over and had two wides and an edged four in an opening over which cost eight runs.

Thorp's two wickets, however, left a huge responsibility on former Durham and Yorkshire player Gavin Hamilton to keep Scotland afloat and he was showing little sign of it when the murk closed in.

It had not been particularly bright at the start of play, with Durham put in to bat after losing the toss for the fifth successive time.

Further evidence of their continuing misfortune came with acting captain Michael Di Venuto being run out for the third time this season.

The amazing thing is that it has never been his fault.

Yesterday the ball struck Neil McKenzie on the pad and lobbed up behind him on the leg side.

It was clearly Di Venuto's call, but he was halfway down the pitch before he realised that McKenzie, who didn't know where the ball was, wasn't going to respond to the shout for a run.

Di Venuto had made 26 and was looking in good touch after an early mistimed pull just evaded mid-on.

It was a slow pitch and a sluggish outfield, but Durham have been to The Grange often enough to know what to expect and some of the middle order perished trying to be too ambitious.

McKenzie had just driven Glenn Rogers, a useful left-arm spinner born in Sydney, over long-on for six to reach 27 when he tried a slog/sweep off the next ball and was bowled.

Muchall, called up for the first time this season, also drove Rogers for six, only to sky the same bowler to extra cover.

He was fifth out with 15 overs left, when he should have been allowing himself five more overs to keep the score ticking over before looking to press the accelerator.

Ben Harmison played the anchor role in mid-innings, and despite spending 24 overs over his 29 runs it proved to be a valuable role.

When he became the third victim for Blain, edging to wicketkeeper Colin Smith, it was 134 for seven in the 41st over, and from that point Durham would have been reasonably satisfied to top 180.

Gareth Breese guided them there with some well-struck shots in his unbeaten 25 and Killeen sensibly contributed nine in the last two overs after Steve Harmison drove straight to long-on.

But Killeen is hopeful of being fit for the game which could well decide Durham's fate, at home to Lancashire next Sunday.

SCORECARD
Scotland v Durham
At The Citylets Grange.
Durham
M J Di Venuto run out . 26
P Mustard c Cowan b Nel . 5
K J Coetzer c Watson b Blain . 7
N D McKenzie b Rogers . 27
B W Harmison c C J O Smith b Blain . 29
G J Muchall c Watts b Rogers . 16
G T Park c C J O Smith b Blain . 11
G R Breese not out . 25
C D Thorp c Rogers b Weeraratna . 13
S J Harmison c Cowan b Nel . 3
N Killeen not out . 9
Extras (lb4 w6 pens 0) . 10
Total 9 wkts Innings Complete (50
overs) .181
Fall: 1-16 2-37 3-49 4-76 5-110 6-126 7-134 8-
153 9-163
Bowling: Blain 10-1-31-3. Nel 10-0-42-2. Weeraratna 10-0-38-1.
Goudie 10-1-30-0. Rogers 10-0-36-2.
Scotland
D F Watts c Sub b Thorp . 15
E J Cowan c Muchall b Killeen . 5
R R Watson lbw b B W Harmison . 14
C J Smith lbw b Thorp . 0
G M Hamilton not out . 5
N F McCallum c Muchall b S J Harmison 3
J A Blain not out . 1
Extras (lb3 w6 pens 0) . 9
Total 5 wkts (17.1 overs). 52
Fall: 1-9 2-30 3-38 4-45 5-50
Did Not Bat: G A Rogers, S D Weeraratna, G
Goudie.
Killeen 4.1-1-8-1. Thorp 8-2-16-2. B W Harmison
0.5-0-10-1. S J Harmison 4.1-0-15-1.
Durham beat Scotland by 46 runs (D/L Method)

9:40am Monday 12th May 2008

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