BEN Stokes today became the first player to score 150 for Durham in a one-day match as they amassed 286 for three against Warwickshire at Edgbaston.

The 19-year-old all-rounder hammered seven sixes in scoring 150 not out off 113 balls against the CB 40 League holders.

He went past Durham’s previous one-day record of 145 with two successive sixes off left-arm seamer Keith Barker in the final over. The first was an astonishing shot as he had stepped to the leg side and had to adjust before flat-batting the ball over long-on. Rikki Clarke got a hand on the ball just above his head but it was travelling so hard he couldn’t stop it.

The next ball was driven high over long-off to beat the record which was set by John Morris in a Benson & Hedges Cup tie at Leicester in 1996. That was a 50-over game and the previous highest 40-over score was 131 by Wayne Larkins at Portsmouth in 1994.

It was not all brutal hitting from Stokes as he built his innings very sensibly, knocking the ball around for singles when necessary. His first 50 came off 50 balls, his second off 38 and his third off 25.

The only chance he gave was on 87, when Darren Maddy put down a return catch. Stokes celebrated with a reverse sweep for six off left-arm spinner Paul Best.

Durham did not score any one-day centuries last season, but this was the second in successive games following Kyle Coetzer’s 110 not out in Edinburgh.

This time he drove to cover for seven to bring in Stokes in the fifth over and when Phil Mustard lofted a catch to mid-off Durham were 29 for two.

Stokes then shared a stand of 157 in 24 overs with Gordon Muchall, who made his fifth half-century in six innings in this competition.

When he drove a catch to long-on to fall for 65 one-day skipper Dale Benkenstein increased the tempo with an unbeaten 42 off 27 balls. The unbroken stand was worth 100 in nine overs.