Result: Northants 2nd XI (282/5; Vasconcelos 144*; S Steel 3/27) beat Durham 2nd XI (276/9; C Steel 80, Jones 73; Muzarabani 4/40) by five wickets
Namesakes Cameron & Scott Steel both impressed for the Second XI but could not prevent Neil Killeen’s side from a five-wicket defeat to Northants at Emirates Riverside.
Batting first, Durham scored 276/9 from 50 overs as Steel top-scored with 80, backed up well by 73 from Michael Jones.
The pair added exactly 100 for the second wicket, keeping the score ticking over through the middle overs.
Quick wickets threatened to derail the innings but Ryan Davies added another half century, scoring 65 off 58 balls with seven boundaries.
Chris Rushworth returned with the ball, getting through eight miserly overs, but the visitors’ opening stand put them in firm control.
Ricardo Vasconcelos & Ben Curran added 159 without loss in 28 overs, with the former eventually finishing unbeaten on 144.
Three quick wickets for Scott Steel gave Durham slight hope but Northants got over the line with eight balls remaining.
The sides go head-to-head again at Emirates Riverside over the next three days in a Second XI Championship fixture.