Durham 344/4 beat Lancashire 287AO
Captain Alex Lees starred with a superb 111 added to impressive all-round contributions from Dutch internationals Bas de Leede and Colin Ackermann as Durham claimed an opening day Metro Bank One-Day Cup win over Lancashire at Sedbergh School.
Opener Lees cleanly struck eight fours and a six in a 126-ball innings which underpinned 344 for four – Durham’s sixth highest List A total. De Leede contributed 72 off 63 and Ackermann 59 off 33.
In ideal batting conditions, and in front of approximately 2,000 spectators, Lancashire’s task of chasing was tall. Josh Bohannon top-scored with an excellent career best 147 off 119 balls, an even better innings than Lees’s. But Ackermann and de Leede equally shared six wickets in 287 all out – a Durham win by 57 runs.
Lees made the most of his decision to bat first, hitting all of his boundaries on the leg-side and driving George Balderson’s seam over long-off for his only six.
Every Durham batter contributed. Fellow Under 19s international Ben McKinney opened with a pleasing 43 – he shared 87 with Lees – before Scotland international Michael Jones added a late 41 off 21 against his birth county.
Durham paced their innings beautifully against a Red Rose attack who failed to gain control. Only Balderson – one for 57 from 10 overs – went at less than six in over in a six-man attack.
Lees and de Leede shared 129 inside 20 overs for the second wicket, advancing from 87 for one in the 20th. It was a Durham partnership record for the second wicket in List A matches against Lancashire.
Lees reached a 117-ball century but didn’t last much longer.
He followed de Leede’s departure, the skipper caught at long-off against Harry Singh’s off-spin – 250 for three in the 44th over.
After that, 81 came from the last six overs as Ackermann and Jones set about a thrilling acceleration.
New ball seamer Tom Bailey conceded 27 off the 47th – 308 for three. Jones hit a six and four and Ackermann two sixes and a four.
Lancashire’s reply started well despite George Bell’s early departure. He cut Paul Coughlin to backward point.
At 91 for one in the 16th over, their hopes would have been high as captain Keaton Jennings and Bohannon both approached fifties.
But their second-wicket partnership was cut short at 72 when the former was run out for 44 at the non-striker’s end going for a third to deep midwicket, sparking a match-defining collapse of four wickets for 46 – Lancashire now 137 for five in the 23rd.
Ackermann’s off-spin (three for 37 from six overs) accounted for three of them, bowling Balderson and Tom Bruce added to George Lavelle caught at backward point. The latter two fell in as many deliveries in the 23rd over.
Bohannon shared a calming 61 for the sixth wicket with Singh, but the latter was one of two wickets to fall in the 34th to de Leede’s seam, leaving the hosts 202 for seven.
Singh pulled to deep midwicket for 25 and Tom Aspinwall was bowled.
De Leede (three for 33 from eight) bowled Bailey shortly afterwards before Bohannon reached a second List A century off 93 balls.
But a win was the prize he craved. Unfortunately for him, that ship had long sailed as no team-mate could support him until it was too late.
He also shared 62 for the ninth wicket with Will Williams, who fell to Jonathan Bushnell’s seam.
The same man completed the visiting success when he bowled Bohannon in the 45th over after the England Lions captain had struck 13 fours and half a dozen sixes.