By Niall Hickman
Durham v Derbyshire – SET Final at the Emirates Durham ICG.
Derbyshire 247-8(C Hughes 69), Durham 237 all out
Derbyshire won by 10 runs
For full scorecard, click here
Durham’s hopes of winning the SET Cup on home soil came up short last night as Derbyshire were victorious in a nail-biting finish by 10 runs.
It was a tight finish at the Emirates Durham ICG, but Durham needed 16 runs off the last over and were bowled out with the final ball of the match, handing the 50-over trophy to the visitors.
Derbyshire skipper Wes Durston won the toss and chose to bat, seemingly a wise decision as he and fellow opener Ben Slater raced to 70 in only the 12th over before the captain was brilliantly caught by Barry McCarthy.
Slater and Chesney Hughes then put on another 67 runs only for Slater to go for 45, this time off McCarthy’s bowling.
When Hughes was fourth out for 69 off seamer Jamie Harrison it triggered a remarkable collapse as 196-3 became 218-8. Tom Knight, Greg Cork, Tom Poyton and Tom Taylor all came and went in quick succession to accurate and penetrative Durham bowling.
Matt Critchley and Tom Milnes put on an unbeaten 29 for the ninth wicket, steering the visitors to 247-8. Dorset-born teenager George Harding was the pick of the Durham bowlers, taking 2-27 in eight overs with his slow left arm.
Durham’s reply started excellently but when skipper Keaton Jennings went for a run a ball 26, caught by Durston in the slips, it slowed the tempo. Graham Clark fell to Durston’s first ball for 23, then Phil Mustard was adjudged LBW off Critchley.
Stuart Poynter and Calum MacLeod put on 61 before the former was bowled by Durston, who finished with outstanding figures of 2-37.
MacLeod and Dylan Budge both fell in successive balls in Tom Taylor’s 39th over for the visitors as Durham struggled to 163-6.
Gurman Randhawa tried a reverse sweep against Critchley which went horribly wrong as he was bowled around his legs, making it 185-7.
James Weighell, fresh from his first class debut last week against Middlesex, underlined his considerable promise with the bat with a monster six off Will Davies over square and followed that up with a beautiful punchy shot down the ground to the ropes.
McCarthy then followed suit, lifting leg spinner Critchley over his head for another boundary. It was a productive over for the home side as Weighell smashed two further fours through mid on, badly damaging Critchley’s previously tight figures.
Big hitting Weighell was bowled through the gate for a quick fire 37 in Milnes’ next over as Durham fell to 223-8, needing 25 runs off the last 16 balls.
With two overs remaining, that target came down to 22 required for victory.
Davis returned to the attack and with his second ball McCarthy’s mis-cue landed in Hughes’ grateful hands on the long off boundary.
Harrison and Harding managed five between them from the remaining four balls of Davis’ over, leaving Durham with a victory target of 16 runs off Milnes’ last six balls.
Harrison nudged a single down to short fine leg, then Harding pushed for two to mid wicket. Harding guided a single to point, leaving Durham to get 12 runs form three balls.
Harrison could only find a fielder on the cover boundary for a single and when Harding missed the penultimate ball, Derbyshire knew they had the win. Harding chipped to square leg and was caught off the final delivery, leaving Durham 10 runs shy on 237.