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Durham add Thorp to squad
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
11:04am Wednesday 14th May 2008
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