2NDXI T20 MATCH REPORT: Lancashire split exciting double-header with Durham
Lancashire came close to a double T20 success before having to settle for a share of the spoils with Durham at Chester-le-Street Cricket Club.
The Red Rose side won the opening match of this T20 double-header convincingly by seven wickets, but the second game was a much closer affair that turned into a thrilling run chase as the hosts hung on to enjoy a seven-run success.
In the first game, a fine bowling effort led by Tom Aspinwall’s competition best 3-18 restricted Durham to 139-8 with Rob Jones’ attacking 73 helping the batters make short work of their target.
Jack Blatherwick struck with the third ball of the match, nipping one back to bowl Jonathan Bushnell but Durham hit back with the experienced Scott Borthwick thumping two sixes in a 45-ball half century and dominating three partnerships that added a combined 94 runs in 14 overs.
Ben McKinney had helped Borthwick put on 51 for the second wicket but he was slow to respond when called for a quick single and run out for 13 by Cian Dickinson’s accurate throw to the bowler’s end.
Aspinwall next bowled Ross Whitfield for 6 and followed with the key wicket of Borthwick for 57 when the left hander top edged a pull that went high enough to allow the bowler time to sprint to short midwicket and complete the catch.
That left Durham on 95-4 one ball into the 15th over and the hosts lost wickets regularly as they tried to force the scoring.
Aspinwall took his third when deceiving Tom Mackintosh with a pitched-up slower delivery to bowl the hosts’ wicketkeeper for 3 and that was followed by George Balderson and Will Williams taking a wicket apiece over the closing overs.
Harry Crawshaw struck five boundaries in making 33 off 27 balls, but that was the only other innings of note as Durham closed on 139-8.
A rapid 43 runs off the first four overs by Balderson and Jones then put Lancashire firmly on course for their target.
Balderson hit four fours to reach 20 before lofting Luke Robinson into the hands of George Drissell at mid-off from the first ball of the fifth over and Matty Hurst followed for two after being stumped following a wild slog at Borthwick midway through the 9th over.
But the Durham bowlers found it impossible to contain Jones who executed his shots all around the wicket with near perfection. Six sixes sailed over the ropes during his explosive 35-ball innings accompanied by seven fours, the only blemish being the sliced drive off Drissell that was caught at third man by Mitchell Killeen with Lancashire needing 30 runs from 52 balls.
It took George Lavelle (21 not out) and Aspinwall (16 not out) just nineteen of those deliveries to seal the win.
It was Borthwick who was the mainstay for Durham in the second match, the all-rounder posting his second half century of the day, with 74 off 46 balls including 4 sixes and 6 fours as the hosts compiled 197-7. Lancashire made a great effort to chase that down with some valuable contributions down the order from Balderson who made 42, Blatherwick with 38 and some late big hitting from Dickinson and Williams that took the Red Rose oh-so-close in an exciting finale.
After being put in to bat, McKinney hit Aspinwall for a straight six but then sliced the bowler to Dickinson at wide gully for 14 at the start of the Durham innings. But that was the last Red Rose success for nine overs as Bushnell and Borthwick added 95 until the former pulled Balderson to Blatherwick at deep midwicket for 46.
Liam Trevaskis, one of two Durham changes from the first game along with Luke Doneathy, helped to keep the runs flowing in a 43-run alliance off 27 balls with Borthwick to take the hosts to 169-2 after 16 overs.
Blatherwick (4-24) returned to claim four wickets, the first when Borthwick pulled to Birkman at long leg followed by Trevaskis who skied a catch to Dickinson at cover for 23. Doneathy and Drissell holed out to long-off and long-on respectively off Blatherwick with Mackintosh, having hit the penultimate ball off Williams for six, out to the final ball of the innings for 13.
Lancashire lost early wickets to be 43-3 after 5 overs, Lavelle driving Stanley McAlindon to Borthwick at mid-off for 7, Jones caught at long-on off left-arm spinner Trevaskis for 11 and Hurst top edging Robinson to McAlindon at third man for 9.
Balderson, who hit 3 sixes and 4 fours in his 26-ball stay, and Aspinwall with a couple of sixes of his own, doubled the score in quick time but the loss of Balderson for 42 to a catch at deep midwicket off seam bowler Bushnell, from the penultimate ball of the ninth over, was a big blow as Lancashire reached halfway on 89-4.
After Aspinwall was bowled by Borthwick for 22 and facing the task of getting 88 from 45 balls, Blatherwick and Dickinson launched an assault on the Durham attack to close in on their target.
Blatherwick hit three sixes and two fours in his 38 off 22 balls, while Dickinson contributed two further sixes in making 28 as the pair hit 52 runs off 4 overs. When Blatherwick perished at long-off to Trevaskis in the 17th over, Lancashire still needed 37 off 20 balls.
Williams then hit spinner Driscoll for three sixes in the 19th over, to leave 13 required off the last, but Dickinson fell to a catch at long-off from the first ball of the final over from McAlindon, and Williams perished in similar style two balls later to end Lancashire’s hopes as Durham closed out a narrow, and thrilling, win.
Today's results leaves Yorkshire top of the the North Group table with 12 points from 6 wins in 6 matches. Lancashire, Derbyshire and Notts follow, each team having taken 8 points from 7 matches.
Ken Grime