THE inconsistent nature of Durham’s performances in the Vitality Blast continue to frustrate.

Earlier this week Head Coach James Franklin called on his players to put a stop to their hit and miss nature in this summer’s event.

But defeat at Northants on Wednesday evening, as they lost by 21 runs at Wantage Road, leaves them playing catch up again as they head to Derbyshire this evening.

Durham are fifth in a nine-team North Group, with three wins and four defeats from seven games. They fell short on Wednesday, Peter Handscomb – with a 54 ball 65 - giving them a chance of chasing down the total after a shaky opening.

“I think we let ourselves down on Wednesday,’’ said Franklin. “Northants bowled and fielded very well but our application with the bat wasn’t that great.

“Peter Handscomb played great and if he’d just had a foil at the other end I think we’d have chased the score down.

“I thought they scored 10-15 too many as well because we dropped a few catches so it was generally a pretty sloppy night.

“It been frustrating for us because we’ve been close to stringing some performances together but nights like tonight don’t help."

Durham, meanwhile, have announced Ryan Pringle and George Harding will leave when their contracts expire at the end of the season.

All-rounder Pringle made 40 First-Class and 40 List A appearances, part of the side that reached the 2016 T20 Final against Northants at Edgbaston.

The 27-year-old scored a 125 against Derbyshire in the 2016 One Day Cup and grabbed over 100 wickets in all formats.

Left-arm spinner Harding made just three First Class appearances after making his debut against Gloucestershire in 2017 and took only 12 wickets in 11 games across all formats.

Director of Cricket Marcus North said: “We would like to wish both Ryan and George the very best for their future careers and thank them for their commitment to Durham Cricket.”