User:Sam Vimes/Sandbox14

Durham County Cricket Club started the 2005 season as 20-1 to win the Second Division of the County Championship. However, their first two Championship games suggested they may be real title contenders: first they won by an innings inside three days, then by 7 wickets inside 2 days. They are playing their Sunday League cricket in Division Two of the totesport League. They started this campaign off well too, winning their first game, against Leicestershire by 9 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method. They followed this up with a heavy defeat of Surrey.

Durham lost its 100% record when their Sunday League game against Scotland was abandoned without a ball being bowled, then the next day their game against Sussex was abandoned half way through the game. On 4 May they were then knocked out of the C&G Trophy in Round One, when they lost to Derbyshire by 1 wicket on the last ball. This was followed by two back-to-back Championship games: victories over Somerset and Lancashire.

Durham continued their winning ways, easily overcoming Yorkshire Phoenix in the Sunday League, but then showed signs of weakness in two drawn matches, with Yorkshire in the Championship and with Durham UCCE.

June started with a draw in the Championship at Worcestershire. In the National League, they won a Monday day/nighter against Derbyshire in style. A drab, unexciting draw with Northamptonshire followed, however, and the lack of the international players Harmison and Collingwood was all too apparent as they crashed to a defeat at Arundel against Sussex. Losses to Derbyshire and Leicestershire in the Twenty20 Cup followed, as the team of the spring looked to be knocked out of the Twenty20 Cup at the group stage. And indeed, they were - despite a mid-group stage surge with wins over Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire, that was as good as it got. Without Hussey, Collingwood and Harmison, the team was sorely weakened in the County Championship against Lancashire, as the league leaders crumbled to a thumping innings defeat, and Lancashire closed Durham's gap at the top of the table to 11 points. Durham had to endure a streak of six games without a win, as they also lost comprehensively against Warwickshire in the National League on the week-end.

On 20 July they beat Derbyshire by six wickets in the National League, to regain the lead in Division Two. They also kept their lead in the Championship following an evenly-fought draw with Derbyshire, and extended it with a 207-run win over Somerset. Three matches without win followed - first, a two-wicket loss to Essex, which still left Durham on top of the Championship, then a six-wicket loss to Bangladesh A, and then a draw with Leicestershire. A comprehensive eight-wicket win over the same team on Tuesday 16 August put them right back into the promotion battle in Division Two, however, but they were defeated by Somerset in the National League on the week-end. Durham continued with a Championship draw against Yorkshire, before inflicting the tenth National League defeat of the season on the Scots to go second in the table. Their last match of August was against Derbyshire in the Championship, and they were let off the hook, with Derbyshire requiring three more runs to win in a drawn game.

Durham moved closer to promotion in the National League with an eight-wicket victory at home over Kent, to begin September in good fashion. They continued on that good National League form a week later, beating Yorkshire by seven wickets, to secure promotion into the first division of the League. Promotion in the Championship was secured on 17 September, when they drew their game with Northamptonshire. They kept their quest for the Division Two title in the National League up with wins over Somerset and Warwickshire, but as Sussex won their final games Durham found the gap too large to bridge, and ended in second place - but still promoted from both competitions.

Leicestershire v Durham (13-15 April)
Durham (22pts) beat Leicestershire (1pt) by an innings and 216 runs

Durham won the toss against Leicestershire and elected to bat first at Grace Road, Leicester. The first day was dominated by Durham's Australian left-handed opener, Mike Hussey. Hussey may not be good enough to make the Australian Test squad, but he was good to make an undefeated 165 off 290 balls on a flat pitch on the first day. Former England Under-19 batsman Gordon Muchall helped Hussey add 166 for the third-wicket partnership, before being run out for 82. Durham finished day one on 325 for 3.

On the second day, Hussey powered on, and was seventh man out for 253, an innings that included 3 sixes and 33 fours. Durham finally declared on a mammoth 523 for 8 declared off 161 overs. It didn't get much better for Leicestershire when they finally did get to bat on a pitch was much less placid than on the first day. Liam Plunkett soon took their first four wickets, and also had one dropped as Leicestershire struggled to 49 for 4. Leicestershire went on to finish their first innings on 123 all out. Plunkett finished on 5 for 43. Leicestershire were then forced to follow-on exactly 400 behind. They made 10 without loss by the end of the day. Stephen Harmison, England's out of form fast bowler, performed well, but could still not take a wicket and was upstaged by Plunkett.

Durham spent 70.3 third-day overs on the process of finishing off Leicestershire. The good news for England fans will be the return to form of Harmison, who took 4 for 30 as Leicestershire were dismissed for 184. At one stage, Harmison had taken three wickets in a 15-ball spell without conceding a run. Plunkett continued to unsettle the batsmen and finished on 3 for 55. Only one Leicestershire batsman, John Maunders, was able to score a 50.(Cricinfo scorecard)

Leicestershire v Durham (17 April)
Durham (4pts) beat Leicestershire (0pts) by 9 runs (D/L method)

Leicestershire Foxes won the toss at Grace Road, Leicester and elected to bat. Liam Plunkett continued his good form, dismissing John Maunders and Aftab Habib early, as the Foxes faltered to 4 for 2. Darren Maddy and HD Ackerman then put on 98 for the third wicket, which helped Leicestershire to 175 for 8 off their 45 overs. Durham Dynamos edged to 85 for 3 from 33 overs, when rain prevented further play, leaving Durham the winners on the Duckworth-Lewis method. (BBC scorecard)

Durham v Worcestershire (20-21 April)
Durham (19pts) beat Worcestershire (3pts) by 7 wickets

Worcestershire won the toss at Chester-le-Street and chose to bat first. Stephen Peters and Stephen Moore started them off well as they moved to 75 without loss. Then Mark Davies, who is fighting for his first-team place, took six wickets to reduce them to 120, before Steve Harmison (3 wickets) and Paul Collingwood (1 wicket) finished off the tail to reduce Worcestershire to 171 all out. Collingwood then returned with the bat and got to 88 not out, to leave Durham well-placed on 139 for 2 at close.

On the second day, Collingwood completed his century, finally falling for 129 when Durham were 229 for 4. The Durham tail did not back up the start given to them by the specialist batsmen, however, and they were all out for 286, a lead of 115. Liam Plunkett, who had a good first game but a quiet first innings in this second game, then returned to knock out three top-order wickets. The rest of the bowling unit performed well, and Steve Harmison took a hat-trick on his way to 5 for 61. Harmison later said, "The way I was feeling, my tail was up and I felt I could go through them. The position they were in I don’t think they were too keen to hang around. Before the last ball [of the hat-trick], I felt confident. It was a decent ball in a decent area and I was glad when he [David Wigley] chopped it on."

Chaminda Vaas top-scored with 42 not out, as Worcester were all out for 146. This left Durham a target of only 32 to win, which they got for the loss of 3 wickets to win with two days spare. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Durham v Surrey (24 April)
Durham (4pts) beat Surrey (0pts) by 138 runs

Durham Dynamos continued their perfect start to the season with an emphatic win at Chester-le-Street. Surrey Lions chose to bowl first, and Tim Murtagh with 3 for 12 performed well. But Dale Benkenstein and Gordon Muchall put on 100 together to help the Dynamos to 224 for 8. For the Lions it all went wrong between the sixth and eighth overs, during which they lost four wickets for two runs to plummet to 27 for 4. Liam Plunkett and Benkenstein took 4 wickets each as Surrey were dismissed for 86 in 30.1 overs. It's early in the season, but already Surrey are looking weak after their fourth successive match without a victory. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Scotland v Durham (1 May)
Match abandoned - Scotland (2pts), Durham (2pts)

This match, which was due to be played at the Citylets Grange, Edinburgh, was rained off without a ball being bowled. (BBC news)

Durham v Sussex (2 May)
No result - Durham (2pts), Sussex (2pts)

At Chester-le-Street Durham Dynamos won the toss and put Sussex Sharks in to bat. Steve Harmison bowled well for his 1 for 24 off 9 overs, though it was Michael Lewis who took the wickets, ending with 5 for 48. For the Sharks, Johannes van der Wath top scored with 80 and shared a 110-run partnership with Robin Martin-Jenkins to pull Sussex out from 60 for 5 to a final total of 182 for 7 in 45 overs. In reply the Dynamos slumped to 9 for 2 off 7.3 overs, losing both openers for ducks before rain came and finished the match 15 balls before Duckworth-Lewis could be applied. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Durham v Derbyshire (4-5 May)
Derbyshire beat Durham by 1 wicket to progress to Round Two of the C&G Trophy

Durham put on 234 in their 50 overs at Chester-le-Street, mostly thanks Paul Collingwood, who scored 82 from 83 balls. Spin bowler Ant Botha took 4 for 44. In reply, Steve Harmison performed well, trapping Michael Di Venuto lbw with his third ball and, in a hostile and accurate spell, had Hassan Adnan caught at first slip. He ended with three for 45. Derbyshire were wobbling, but anchored by Chris Bassano who eked out 57 from 104 balls. This, along with 50 from Graeme Welch, kept Derbyshire in the game, but it needed a tenth wicket partnership of 16 between Botha and Kevin Dean to see them through on the last ball of the game. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Durham v Somerset (6-9 May)
Durham (19pts) beat Somerset (5pts) by four wickets

Durham saw off the Andrew Caddick scare against Somerset to win a close match by four wickets. Somerset chose to bat after winning the toss at Stockton-on-Tees, in the first match at this ground in six years. England fast bowler Steve Harmison continued his return to form, removing both Somerset openers, but conceded many runs in the process, and it was England ODI all-rounder Paul Collingwood who was the star, taking the wickets of the Somerset top-scorers James Hildreth (caught by Gareth Breese for 70) and Ian Blackwell (bowled for 48) in addition to the three last lower-order wickets. Somerset were all out for 252 in just 63.3 overs.

In reply, Durham struggled with playing Andrew Caddick, as he removed four Durham batsmen for single-figure scores. Only Liam Plunkett (74 not out) and Mark Davies (62) managed to play Caddick with some success, and that was on the second day - at stumps on day one, Caddick had taken five wickets and reduced Durham to 141/7. Plunkett and Davies, batting at 8 and 10 respectively, saved the innings to 298 all out and a lead of 46 runs - while Caddick was taken around to end with six for 106.

Harmison and Collingwood continued in the style of the first innings, although this time it was the real pace bowler who took the most wicket. On the afternoon of the second day, he again took both openers - including England opener Marcus Trescothick, and when Ian Blackwell (87) and Andrew Caddick threatened to run away with it with their partnership of 78 for the last wicket, it was Harmison who got Blackwell out, caught by Liam Plunkett. Durham were set a tricky target of 243, but the Jamaican-born all-rounder Gareth Breese saw off the challenge of Caddick, who took yet another six-for - this time for 98 - to end with match figures of 12 for 104. Unfortunately, he was the only bowler to dig in, and Michael Hussey (51), Dale Benkenstein (51) and the aforementioned Breese with 79 not out saw Durham reach the target to preserve their unbeaten run in the Championship. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Lancashire v Durham (11-13 May)
Durham (20pts) beat Lancashire (3pts) by 9 wickets

Durham recorded another comprehensive win, this time at Old Trafford. After winning the toss, Lancashire were skittled out for 199, and with Durham making 92 for 2 by close on the first day, they were well on top. This continued on the second day, with Michael Hussey making 144 and wicket-keeper Philip Mustard 77 before they were all out for 338. Muttiah Muralitharan took 5 for 107, bowling 39 of Lancashire's 107 overs. Lancashire were struggling again at 135 for 5 at close, and only managed to make it to 173 on the third day, as Andrew Flintoff was the only Lancashire batsman to pass 20. Durham knocked off the 35 runs required for the loss of one wicket. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Durham v Yorkshire (15 May)
Durham (4pts) beat Yorkshire (0pts) by 51 runs

Durham continued their fine start to the season with a comfortable win at Chester-le-Street. They started slowly, making only 60 (for no loss) after 20 overs. But helped by Mike Hussey they picked up the pace, ending on 256 for 4. Yorkshire's reply started quicker, but the Dynamos kept taking wickets, finally dismissing the Phoenix for 205. Paul Collingwood and Gareth Breese took 3 each. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Durham v Yorkshire (20-23 May)
Durham (10pts) drew with Yorkshire (9pts)

In the clash of the two top teams of Division Two of the Championship, Durham came the closest to losing a game so far in the season - though they threw it away themselves. With England requiring Steve Harmison to be rested, the team at last looked beatable, though they had Yorkshire on the rack at 124 for 7 and 179 for 9. However, Richard Dawson and Deon Kruis let loose for Yorkshire, scoring 75 for the last wicket in a late blitz to guide Yorkshire to a total of 254.

In reply, Durham were in a spot of bother at 146 for 6, but a partnership worth 126 between Gareth Breese and Philip Mustard lifted Durham to 316. With a 62-run deficit on first innings, Yorkshire lost their first seven wickets for only 128 runs, but Anthony McGrath hit a potentially match-saving 133 not out - his second important century of the season, following his 165 not out against Leicestershire a week earlier. He was supported by Chris Silverwood, who smashed 80 off 66 balls before eventually being bowled by Michael Lewis, who removed the five last batsmen in his five for 80.

Despite McGrath's big score, Durham were only set 245 to win in well over a day. They started sedately, as Michael Hussey (23 not out) and Jon Lewis (18 not out) took them to stumps on day three without losing a wicket, and cut 53 off the winning target. What looked like a reasonably simple chase, however, was intervened by rain, bad light and clever bowling from the South African Kruis. Gordon Muchall and Hussey looked to be securing it at 132 for 2, however, but a mini-collapse in the last overs saw the Durham fans biting their nails. Eventually, the chase was stopped nineteen runs short of victory for Durham, but they lost eight wickets in the process and were probably glad to escape with a draw - though they would be ruing the slow scoring at the end. Dale Benkenstein, their No. 4, hit 28 not out off 78 balls. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Durham UCCE v Durham (25-27 May)
Match drawn

Despite Durham fielding a near first-string line-up, they were nowhere near dominant against the students, Durham making 277 on the first day after David Balcombe took five for 112. In reply, the students made 228 for 9 declared, after two bursts from New Zealand international Nathan Astle. Astle took three for 20, the best bowling figures, making up for his 11 in the first innings. Durham then scored reasonably quick runs, but the game were still heading towards a draw, as Durham were leading by 180 runs at stumps on day two with 8 wickets in hand. Durham made a good go at winning the match, though, making 258 for 7 declared to set the students 308 in 74 overs. With Gareth Breese (3-86) and Graeme Bridge (4-54) taking student wickets at regular intervals, it wasn't enough, as they finished 261 for 9 - 47 runs and one wicket short of a result. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Kent v Durham (29 May)
Durham (4pts) beat Kent (0pts) by 1 run

Durham Dynamos extended their unbeaten run in National League games to six games as they pulled off a remarkable comeback at Kent Spitfires. Having won the toss and batted, Durham made 189 after having been pegged back by South African Andrew Hall who took 3 for 17 off 8.5 overs. In reply, Hall made 72 as Kent cruised to 128 for 2 and 170 for 3, but Durham's players fought back. With the main damage coming from their internationals Ashley Noffke (three for 33) and Nathan Astle (two for 21), Kent lost six wickets for 17 runs, and Kent were tied down to such an extent that they needed three runs off the last ball to win - Martin Saggers could only scrape the one bye. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Surrey v Durham (30 May)
Surrey (4pts) beat Durham (0pts) by 43 runs

Durham fell to their first defeat of their totesport League campaign at the Oval as Surrey's youngsters rescued them from what could have been yet another Surrey batting collapse - they had lost 9 or 10 wickets in 4 of their 5 League matches so far, and had made 2 scores below 140. The hosts batted first, and their position looked dire as they were soon on 26 for 4, with Liam Plunkett and Neil Killeen taking two wickets each. James Benning, with 66 off 84 balls, and Rikki Clarke, with 54 off 67 balls, then put on 129, a record for Surrey against Durham. In the 38 overs the weather allowed, Surrey made 219. Tim Murtagh then took 3 wickets without conceding a run in his first 3 overs to knock Durham back. Whilst they threatened for a while thanks to a 95-run partnership between Nicky Peng and Dale Benkenstein, they never fully recovered and were finally all out for 176. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Worcestershire v Durham (1-4 June)
Worcestershire (9pts) drew with Durham (9pts)

The first day at Worcester was washed out by rain. Durham batted to 256 when they finally got a chance to bat on the second day, but more rain meant Worcestershire could only get to 226 for 7 at close on the third day, and a draw was a formality. This was confirmed with the innings closing at 267 all out, and Durham chose not to chase a victory, declaring on 180 for 2 with Paul Collingwood on 103 not out when stumps were drawn on the final day. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Durham v Essex (9-11 June)
Durham (22pts) beat Essex (3pts) by an innings and 19 runs

Durham continued their impressive form in the 2005 season by defeating Essex in just three days at Chester-le-Street. A hefty 506 in the first innings, with Gordon Muchall and stand-in captain Dale Benkenstein both making centuries, provided the basis for Durham's attack to see off the Essex batsmen in just 55 overs to leave them 106 all out and following on, Ashley Noffke and Mark Davies taking four wickets each. Essex fought back in their second innnings but their 380, including 82 from Dale Steyn (initially sent in as a nightwatchman) and 103 from tail-end all-rounder Andre Adams, was not enough to catch up with Durham's 399-run first innings lead, and Durham recorded an innings victory. (BBC scorecard)

Durham v Derbyshire (13 June)
Durham (4pts) beat Derbyshire (0pts) by five wickets

A dismal batting performance from Derbyshire Phantoms, as they crumbled to 82 all out at Riverside Ground, gave Durham Dynamos yet another victory in the National League. Dale Benkenstein took four for 17, including two wickets in his first over, and Australian Ashley Noffke showed good bowling form with three for 16 and three maidens in seven overs. Despite losing wickets early in the chase, crumbling to 36 for 4, Gordon Muchall and Gary Pratt added 40 for the fifth wicket to send Durham to a five-wicket win with just under 10 overs to spare. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Northamptonshire v Durham (15-18 June)
Durham (10pts) drew with Northamptonshire (8pts)

Neither team really attempted to win this game at The County Ground, Northampton, which wasn't as badly hit by rain as many other games in that week. Batting first, Durham made 334 from a tricky position at 73 for 4, Northamptonshire bowler Damien Wright trailing off after three early wickets, and a seventh-wicket partnership between Ashley Noffke and Phil Mustard for 135 lifted Durham out of a tricky position. Dale Benkenstein got four cheap wickets for 29 in the Northamptonshire effort, while David Sales top-scored with 50 not out, but Durham looked on top. However, going at only three an over, Durham didn't ram home the advantage, captain Benkenstein choosing to boost his own average with 83 not out. Thus, Northamptonshire were set 414 in 70 overs - a ridiculous task - and despite two wickets from Gareth Breese, both teams were content with the draw. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Sussex v Durham (19 June)
Sussex (4pts) beat Durham (0pts) by seven wickets

Durham Dynamos sorely missed their two international stars, Steve Harmison and Paul Collingwood, as they whimpered to a seven-wicket defeat in the top-of-the-table clash at Arundel against Sussex Sharks. Dale Benkenstein won the toss and chose to have his Durham side bat first, as he made 57 not out from number five, but there was woefully little support as Durham collapsed from 129 for 3 to 195 all out. James Kirtley was the main culprit with four for 29 but every Sussex bowler except Robin Martin-Jenkins got among the wickets. In reply, Ian Ward blitzed 93 off 75 balls, Chris Adams was just as punishing with 58 off 49, and Liam Plunkett was plundered for 46 off only four overs - including nine wides. In only 29.3 overs, the match was over, Sussex getting a bit of Twenty20 practice in as they closed the gap at the top of the table to two points. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Derbyshire v Durham (22 June)
Derbyshire (2pts) beat Durham (0pts) by six wickets

Durham Dynamos were the team to beat in 2005, and up to this game they had only lost two of 17 League and Championship games. Meanwhile, Derbyshire Phantoms had only won two from 14. Nevertheless, the Phantoms recorded a comparatively easy victory, as Durham's weak batting line-up was exposed. Batting first, they only made 130 for 7, Kevin Dean taking two for 20 and Andre Botha two for 16, both from a full quota of four overs. Gordon Muchall was the only batsman to pass 20 for the Dynamos. In reply, James Bryant top-scored with a calm 53 not out off 46 balls, Jonathan Moss slashed boundaries at will in his 46, and two fours and a two from Botha sent them to 134 for 4 with 14 balls to spare with only Nathan Astle in some control for Durham, taking two for 14. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Leicestershire v Durham (26 June)
Leicestershire (2pts) beat Durham (0pts) by three runs

Durham Dynamos contrived to lose this one, having first had Leicestershire Foxes on the rack after limiting them to a total of 150 for 9. Economical bowling from Dale Benkenstein, who took two for 17, made that possible, but he was later to be the main culprit as Charl Willoughby and Jeremy Snape took wickets and refused to give him runs. He eventually finished on 18 from 17 balls, making the task of Gareth Breese and Gordon Muchall impossible - and Durham finished an agonising three runs short. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Durham v Nottinghamshire (28 June)
Durham (2pts) beat Nottinghamshire (0pts) by six wickets

Durham Dynamos got back on track with a closely fought six-wicket win at Riverside. Mark Ealham had some fun with Durham bowler Neil Killeen as he thumped six sixes in a 17-ball 45, and his partnership with Chris Read threatened to lift Nottinghamshire Outlaws to a much bigger score than their final 179. However, four wickets from Jamaican-born Gareth Breese helped stem the tide. In reply, Nathan Astle and Gordon Muchall both made 64 - the latter a not out - and Ealham was smashed about, conceding 51 runs in four overs. It was almost as bad for Andrew Harris, who conceded 38 off 15 legitimate deliveries as Durham won with three balls to spare. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Yorkshire v Durham (30 June)
Durham (2pts) beat Yorkshire (0pts) by two wickets

Durham Dynamos won a low-scoring game at Headingley as both these sides looked to wave goodbye to a quarter-final spot. Yorkshire Phoenix were sent in to bat, but struggled to score runs, falling to 12 for three early on. Durham captain Dale Benkenstein bowled himself for two overs to take three wickets for 10, and that spell set Yorkshire back sufficiently to limit them to 123 for 7 - despite a total of 10 extras. Matthew Hoggard and Tim Bresnan then took three quick wickets between them to reduce Durham to 15 for 3, but despite eight wickets falling in the Durham innings, Phil Mustard's 31 and an identical score from No. 8 Gary Scott was enough to lift them to 124 for 8 with an over remaining. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Durham v Leicestershire (1 July)
Leicestershire (2pts) beat Durham (0pts) by 32 runs

Last year's champions Leicestershire Foxes were back on track for the quarter-finals thanks to 73 from John Sadler at the Riverside Ground. Sadler's 72-run second-wicket partnership with skipper HD Ackerman lifted the visitors to 154 for 7. Durham Dynamos yet again showed their inability to hit at anything significantly above 6 an over, Nicky Peng's top-score of 37 being off 41 balls. Despite captain Dale Benkenstein hitting 33 not out off 16 deliveries, it didn't help, as Leicestershire smothered them to 122 for 7. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Lancashire v Durham (3 July)
Lancashire (2pts) beat Durham (0pts) by 37 runs

Mal Loye and Brad Hodge helped Lancashire Lightning to recover after Stuart Law was stumped in the second over off Durham Dynamos medium-pacer Neil Killeen. Loye and Hodge paired up for 169 for the second wicket, as Loye became the second Lancastrian to score a Twenty20 century this season before he was eventually caught off Nathan Astle's bowling for 100. Lancashire closed on 208 for 4, and only Killeen conceded less than 30 runs of Durham's six bowlers. Astle got the best bowling figures, with two for 37, but his batting helped little - 55 for 37 was never enough to keep up with the asking rate of 10.5. When Durham realised that, they tried to lash out, and a result, wickets tumbled to Glen Chapple and Dominic Cork and Durham finished their 20 overs with the score on 171 for 7. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Durham v Yorkshire (4 July)
Yorkshire (2pts) beat Durham (0pts) by 40 runs

Yorkshire Phoenix got their first win in three Twenty20 games, but the quarter-finals still looked out of sight, as they needed to win their last game and Derbyshire lose their last. Batting first, Ian Harvey, Craig White and Paul Jaques all made scores between 40 and 60, to lift Yorkshire to 126 for 1 at one point. Off-spinner Gary Scott and medium-pacer Dale Benkenstein took three wickets between them, but Yorkshire still managed 171 for 7. Durham Dynamos looked in the game when Benkenstein and Gordon Muchall were at the crease, pairing up for 79 for the fourth wicket, but a burst of wickets - thanks to Richard Dawson and Anthony McGrath's bowling - sent Durham to the ropes at 111 for 8. Twelve minutes later, it was all over for 131, with 17 deliveries remaining. Yorkshire's 30-year-old seam bowler Adam Warren took two for 32 on Twenty20 debut. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Durham v Lancashire (6 July)
Match abandoned; Durham (1pt), Lancashire (1pt)

As Lancashire Lightning were already through and Durham Dynamos already knocked out of the Twenty20 Cup, the rain at the Riverside Ground mattered little. Both sides shared a point in the game. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Durham v Lancashire (8-11 July)
Lancashire (22pts) beat Durham (1pt) by an innings and 228 runs

Durham were a prime example of how the lack of three men can change a team. Three months earlier, Michael Hussey, Paul Collingwood and Steve Harmison had been firing for the Durham lads as they beat Leicestershire by an innings and 216 runs, the highest margin of victory in the County Championship so far this season - before this match. Without these three, and only with Nathan Astle and Ashley Noffke by way of replacement, they collapsed to 167 against the bowling of Glen Chapple and Gary Keedy, before Mal Loye made a double ton and Dominic Cork an unbeaten ton to give Lancashire a 363-run lead on first innings. Then, Chapple took four for 18, as Durham rolled over yet again for 135 - and all of the sudden the league leaders were transformed into laughing stocks. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Durham v Warwickshire (17 July)
Warwickshire (4pts) beat Durham (0pts) by five wickets

Durham Dynamos were to regret their decision of batting first against Warwickshire Bears. On a poor pitch, Warwickshire bowlers Heath Streak, Dougie Brown and Neil Carter took full advantage - the latter two bowling a total of nine maiden overs, while Streak took three for 13 before breaking down with an injury. Durham were 49 for 8 before Liam Plunkett and Neil Killeen chipped in with low but sensible scores, while Dale Benkenstein made 90 at the other end - over sixty per cent of Durham's total of 147. Despite Ashley Noffke taking two early wickets, Alex Loudon anchored the chase with 51 off 61 deliveries, and Warwickshire batted to 148 for 5 with over ten overs remaining. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Derbyshire v Durham (20 July)
Durham (4pts) beat Derbyshire (0pts) by six wickets

Derbyshire Phantoms were set back initially by three wickets from 22-year-old Graham Onions and that prevented them running away to a big score. Despite Travis Friend making 52 and Graeme Welch only taking 24 balls for his unbeaten 37, Derbyshire still couldn't post more than 223 for 8, and after shaky initial batting from opener Nicky Peng, Durham Dynamos were guided to the target by 97 from Michael Hussey and 70 from Gordon Muchall. An extra won them the game with eight balls to spare. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Derbyshire v Durham (21-24 July)
Durham (11pts) drew with Derbyshire (7pts)

Paul Collingwood made a first-innings 190 - 52 % of the Durham total - on his return to County Championship cricket at Derby, but a spirited Derbyshire batting effort and rain secured a draw. The hosts had troubled Durham initially, taking three early wickets for 59, but Collingwood and skipper Dale Benkenstein lifted Durham with a 250-run partnership - to 309 for 4. However, Derbyshire did get some kind of revenge - five wickets fell for nine runs by the end of the day, as Durham crumbled to 363 for 9 at stumps, and only eight were scampered before the last wicket fell on the second day. Durham did not want to be any worse, though, as Mark Davies plundered three wickets for four runs, including Michael di Venuto for 32, and Liam Plunkett also took three wickets as Derbyshire fell to 161 in 41.1 overs.

Asked to follow on, di Venuto only took 113 balls for his century, but batted more cautiously after that as Derbyshire slowly began the turnaround. A brief spurt of wickets, initiated by di Venuto departing for 203, gave Durham hope as they had Derbyshire on 360 for 6, but Travis Friend and Graeme Welch made 135 in a seventh-wicket partnership as Derbyshire set a target of 330. After Durham had batted out 36 of their 66 overs, scoring 93 runs and losing two wickets to Ant Botha, play was stopped and the match declared a draw due to poor conditions. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Somerset v Durham (26-29 July)
Durham (22pts) beat Somerset (5pts) by 207 runs

Durham continued their march through Division Two of the County Championship, recording their sixth win of the season thanks mainly to Paul Collingwood and spineless batting from Somerset. Collingwood made 181, for his second successive match with a century, and along with half-centuries from Mike Hussey, Gordon Muchall and Gareth Breese it lifted Durham to 476 for 9 declared seven overs into day three after the second day had been broken up by the rain. Jamaican spinner Gareth Breese then snared five for 83 as Somerset made their way to 303 in 68 overs, while Durham got to 208 for 1 in reply before declaring for the second time in the match - only Graeme Smith getting a wicket for Somerset. Smith started positively with fellow opener James Francis, adding 56 for the first wicket, but Breese added another four to his tally as he finished with match figures of nine for 138. Ian Blackwell played an unusually cautious knock of 8 off 62 balls, but he was eventually lbw to Michael Lewis, and Somerset subsided for 174 to lose by 207 runs. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Essex v Durham (3-6 August)
Essex (18pts) beat Durham (3pts) by two wickets

Durham won the toss at Southend-on-Sea, yet only lasted two sessions for 196, New Zealander Andre Adams taking five for 60 while Danish Kaneria took three for 30 for Essex. The hosts struggled in the chase, however, as Australian Michael Lewis taking four for 69 as Essex stumbled to 134 for 7, but opener Alastair Cook hung around for four and a half hours, crafting 107 as Essex scraped 245. Adams dug out both openers when Durham returned to bat, but good partnerships from the rest of the order, led by Dale Benkenstein's 124, saw Durham to a second-innings total of 347.

Essex needed 299 to win, and had four sessions to do it. They lost Ravinder Bopara after just 12 minutes, caught off Liam Plunkett, but Andy Flower and Alastair Cook forged a 72-run partnership before Durham medium-pacer Mark Davies struck and had Cook caught behind. At stumps on day three, Essex were 129 for 2. Lewis and Gareth Breese did a lot of bowling for Durham on the fourth day, and after Ronnie Irani departed for 48, Durham got regular breakthroughs, as no Essex partnership following the third was worth more than 25. Andy Flower stood tall, however, spending six and a half hours at the crease to end with 132 not out. With the century, he passed 1000 runs in the Championship, and ensured a two-wicket win for Essex. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Durham v Bangladesh A (7 August)
Bangladesh A won by 68 runs

147 from Shahriar Nafees and Nazimuddin's seven-ball 28 - which included three sixes, two fours and a two before he was caught and bowled off Ben Harmison - lifted Bangladesh A to a massive 299 for 6 in 50 overs, despite Neil Killeen removing Tushar Imran and Alok Kapali with successive balls mid-innings. Nafees had paired up with Mehrab Hossain for 209 for the first wicket. Durham started with a 40-run opening partnership, but Syed Rasel and Shahadat Hossain both took two wickets with successive balls, separated by a few overs. Shahadat went on to take four for 34, while Australian Callum Thorp top-scored with 52 - in vain, as Durham imploded to 213. Durham's captain and opener Lowe ground out 36 runs from 80 deliveries to halt Durham's chase severely. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Durham v Leicestershire (12-15 August)
Leicestershire (12pts) drew with Durham (10pts)

Rain intervened on both the first two days at Riverside, limiting play to 56.1 overs, compared to the expected 200 on fine days, and that was probably a major cause of the drawn game. Durham ground their way to 260 for 3 amid the rain, however, Michael Hussey smashing five sixes in his third Championship century of the season, for 146 runs. David Masters was the star of the third day, though, completing a six-wicket-haul as Durham lost their last seven wickets for 55 runs to end with a first-innings total of 315. In reply, Liam Plunkett took two early wickets, but Dinesh Mongia's unbeaten 77 saw Leicestershire to stumps on day three - still trailing by 98 runs with seven wickets in hand. Leicestershire batted on for 50 overs on day four, Gareth Breese taking five for 91 as Leicestershire were bowled out for 443, while Mongia notched up 29 boundaries in his only first-class century of the season, finishing with 164 before he was stumped off Breese. With 50 overs remaining and one innings to go for both sides, Durham just took their time at the crease as batting practice, Hussey boosting his batting average with 61 not out. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Durham v Leicestershire (16 August)
Durham (4pts) beat Leicestershire (0pts) by eight wickets

Durham Dynamos took a vital win in the promotion battle with Leicestershire Foxes. Michael Lewis took four for 13 as Leicestershire could only make 113 at Riverside, with only Darren Robinson passing 20. Neil Killeen and Liam Plunkett also chipped in with two wickets each. Paul Collingwood then slashed 51 not out from number three to guide Durham to the target with 18.4 overs and eight wickets to spare. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Somerset v Durham (21 August)
Somerset (4pts) beat Durham (0pts) by five wickets

Durham Dynamos failed to take the opportunity of taking a lead in Division Two of the National League, as they went down by five wickets at Taunton. Having won the toss, they struggled to hit out initially, Gavin Hamilton recording 22 off 51 balls and 18-year-old Robert Woodman bowling two maiden overs. However, Dale Benkenstein made an unbeaten 60 and Gareth Breese a quickfire 28 as Durham made their way to 222 for 7 in 45 overs, William Durston getting the best figures for Somerset Sabres with two for 32 - admittedly in five overs - while South African Charl Langeveldt took two for 33 in nine overs. The Sabres hit out well chasing the target, Matthew Wood continuing on his good run of form with 76, and Keith Parsons worked well with Durston, adding 83 runs for the sixth wicket to guide Somerset home after Neil Killeen and Gareth Breese had taken two wickets each to set Somerset back to 143 for 5. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Yorkshire v Durham (24-27 August)
Yorkshire (12pts) drew with Durham (11pts)

Michael Hussey and Paul Collingwood led Durham to a healthy total against the Yorkshire bowlers in the 40 overs possible on the first day at Scarborough. Hussey ended the day on 85 not out as Durham made their way to 140 for 1. Deon Kruis and Tim Bresnan got one wicket each in the morning, but Durham fought back with Gordon Muchall and Dale Benkenstein adding 157 for the fourth wicket. Durham were eventually bowled out midway through day three, having made a total of 414. Kruis took five wickets and Bresnan four, but they both conceded more than 100 runs in the process. Yorkshire opted for batting practice, batting out the last day and a half to make 475 for 6, with Paul Jaques scoring 172. Paul Collingwood took three for 56 for Durham, but could not help them to an extra bowling point, and with no possibility of taking the third extra point Durham's captain Hussey agreed to a draw after Yorkshire's 129th over. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Durham v Scotland (28 August)
Durham (4pts) beat Scotland (0pts) by 93 runs

Harare-born all-rounder Ryan Watson put in the best all-round effort for Scotland all season, recording Scotland's fourth-highest score of the season with 86 and the best bowling analysis with four for 36, but none of the other players save Paul Hoffmann (conceding 21 runs in nine overs) made any significant contribution, and Durham Dynamos ran away with a 93-run victory. Batting first, Durham made 227 for 7, Gordon Muchall top-scoring with 79 and Gareth Breese upping the scoring-rate with two sixes in an unbeaten 47 off 39 balls near the end. The Scots then lost wickets left, right and centre, crashing to 54 for 6 before Watson and Craig Wright added 77 for the seventh wicket. The run out of Wright precipitated the final collapse, though, as the last four wickets fell for three runs and Scotland were all out for 134. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Durham v Derbyshire (30 August-2 September)
Derbyshire (10pts) drew with Durham (8pts)

Derbyshire medium pacer Ian Hunter, formerly of Durham, got career-best bowling figures of five for 63 as Derbyshire - the only winless team in the Championship so far this season - nearly managed to record a win at Riverside Ground against the table-toppers from Durham. Nine batsmen reached double figures, yet only two passed 30, and no one made it to fifty, as Dale Benkenstein top-scoring with 49. Liam Plunkett dug out one wicket in the first evening and one on the second morning, as Derbyshire crashed to 64 for 4, but a grinding 231-minute partnership between Jon Moss (92 runs) and Chris Bassano (87) yielded 148 runs to turn the game around. Luke Sutton hit an uncharacteristically quick 55 off 119 balls, as Derbyshire ground their way to 326.

Australian opener Jimmy Maher recorded his second successive single-figure score in his first match for Durham, as the hosts crawled to 59 for 3, but centuries from Paul Collingwood and Dale Benkenstein sent them back on track. The pair added 206 runs together before Collingwood was out for 112 - his sixth first-class century in twelve matches - while Benkenstein continued to 162 not out, adding 80 valuable runs with Gareth Breese and 21 for the ninth wicket with Brad Williams before declaring. The declaration set Derbyshire 280 to win in 66 overs, and after Michael di Venuto and Steve Stubbings put on 91 for the first wicket Derbyshire eyed their first win for three years. However, despite 101 from Stubbings, the rest of the batting order could not quite hit quite quickly enough, and they finished on an agonising 277 for 6 - three runs short of victory. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Durham v Kent (4 September)
Durham (4pts) beat Kent (0pts) by eight wickets

Kent Spitfires had their run of three successive victories broken by Durham Dynamos, never recovering from a woeful start caused by ducks from James Tredwell, Joe Denly and Darren Stevens, as their three first wickets fell for two runs. Michael Carberry, who came in with the score 27 for 4, made 63 with ten fours, but no other batsman passed 30, and Neil Killeen and Gareth Breese shared the last five wickets as Kent crashed to 140. Gavin Hamilton, who made 43, and Jimmy Maher with 70 shared an opening stand of 123, and despite two wickets from Tredwell, Durham eased home in under two thirds of the allotted time. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Yorkshire v Durham (11 September)
Durham (4pts) beat Yorkshire (0pts) by seven wickets

Gordon Muchall's maiden List A century, an unbeaten 101 off 107 balls, boosted Durham Dynamos to their third straight one-day victory, gaining them promotion from Division Two. Yorkshire Phoenix batted first, however, and fifties from Michael Lumb and the in-form Anthony McGrath gave them a total of 237 for 6, despite Callum Thorp bowling seven overs for only 22 runs. Yorkshire got off to a good start when bowling, having Gavin Hamilton caught for 5, but without Tim Bresnan and Deon Kruis, Yorkshire struggled to take wickets, and Durham won with ten balls to spare. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Durham v Northamptonshire (14-17 September)
Northamptonshire (12pts) drew with Durham (8pts)

Durham needed a draw in this match to secure promotion from Division Two of the County Championship, and the weather handed it to them, as only 222 overs of play were possible over four days. Northamptonshire went for the victory, declaring both their innings closed, but Durham hung on and escaped with eight points. Centuries from Usman Afzaal and Riki Wessels, along with 84 from Robert White lifted the visitors to 414 for 7 on the first day, despite Durham pacer Liam Plunkett grabbing five for 84 and after the second day was washed out they declared.

Northamptonshire broke through immediately, Damien Wright dismissing Jimmy Maher lbw for 0, and Wright got a further three wickets as Durham were 115 for 6 at one point. Gareth Breese and Plunkett saw out the remainder of the day, though, but Durham still needed 93 to avoid the follow on. Andrew Crook eventually broke the partnership, as Durham lost three wickets for 15 runs to go to 224 for 9, but resistance from Brad Williams saw him add 56 from number 11 with Breese to take Durham six runs past the follow-on target of 264. Northamptonshire set about making quick runs, and lost a bucketful of wickets, Callum Thorp taking three for ten as the visitors declared on 101 for 7 after 21 overs. Northamptonshire set Durham 246 to win, and got a good start when Damien Wright had Jimmy Maher bowled for 2, but Durham battled out 15 overs before rain set in and forced the game into a draw. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Durham v Somerset (18 September)
Durham (4pts) beat Somerset (0pts) by five wickets

Durham Dynamos bowled first and used the ball to good effect against the Somerset Sabres at the Riverside Ground, with Neil Killeen and Paul Collingwood getting three wickets each. Seven Somerset batsmen were caught, as Somerset lost their first nine wickets for 94, before Wesley Durston and Simon Francis added a 46-run last-wicket partnership. Killeen conceded only 15 runs in his nine overs. Durston also took two for 21 following his 46 with the bat, but 40 from Gordon Muchall saw Durham to the target with nearly 15 overs to spare, giving them promotion in the National League as well - their second promotion of the week. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Warwickshire v Durham (25 September)
Durham (4pts) beat Warwickshire (0pts) by eight wickets on the Duckworth-Lewis method

Early wickets and few runs early on meant that Warwickshire Bears posted 187 for 8 at their home ground, Edgbaston. Australian Brad Williams took two wickets for the Durham Dynamos, as Warwickshire lost their first four wickets fo 43, and despite a run-a-ball 48 from number 8 Dougie Brown, Warwickshire never got the run rate up above 4.5 an over. Durham lost Gordon Muchall for 3, but half-centuries from Australian Jimmy Maher and England all-rounder Paul Collingwood put Durham to a score of 135 for 2, and Durham passed the revised target of 154 with 17 balls to spare. (Cricinfo scorecard)