The Dynamos have recorded their second win of the week-end in the Friends Life t20 after they defeated Derbyshire by 4 wickets at Chesterfield this afternoon.
A 77-run stand and superb performances by big hitters Ben Stokes and Gordon Muchall handed Durham the win which sees them go to 3rd position in the Northern pool and keeps their Finals Day chances alive with two matches remaining before the Lords finalists are selected.
Durham won the toss and sent the home-side in on a cloudy and cool day at Chesterfield and got off to the perfect start when Will Smith ran out opener Wes Durston in the first over.
Smith then struck another blow Derby’s way in the 5th over after bowling Redfern for 4 with Derbyshire struggling to put runs on the board.
Chesney Hughes and Falcons Captain Wayne Madsen then steadied and put on a 43-run stand and were 66-2 at the half way mark before Hughes was dismissed in the 11th over with Chris Rushworth bowling him for 32.
The Durham attack were solid and restricted the scoring opportunities for the Falcons however when Albie Morkel came to the crease next for Derbyshire, he looked like he was going to be the spark to increase the home-sides run rate.
He made a quick-fire 25 from 18 before spinner Ryan Pringle claimed his wicket with Morkel finding Dynamos skipper Mark Stoneman who took an easy catch. The next ball Pringle struck again and found himself on a hat-trick as he bowled the Falcons skipper with Madsen departing after making 32 from 23 balls.
Durham continued to bowl well towards the end of the Derbyshire innings and Rushworth got his second in the 18th over with Johnson giving Stoneman his second catch. Ben Stokes also chipped in with a run out and Derbyshire saw out their innings to finish on a modest 136-7 off their 20 overs.
The Durham reply started well with Phil Mustard again looking in good touch with 2 boundaries in the first over to kick start the run chase.
However the Dynamos lost their first wicket in the 4th over with Mustard’s opening partner Mark Stoneman trapped in front of the stumps by Burgoyne for 2. It was just an over later when Mustard too found himself back in the change-rooms, contributing 18 before Morkel bowled him.
When Durham lost their third wicket with Scott Borthwick stumped off the bowling of Knight for 3 and Smith an over later, lbw to Redfern they were in trouble at 36-4 in the 8th over.
Enter Ben Stokes and Gordon Muchall.
Stokes carried on with his form from Friday night to combine with fellow big hitter Gordon Muchall to put on a match winning 77-run partnership.
The pair smashed 7 sixes and 4 fours in a brutal 8 overs before Stokes was dismissed in the 16th over by Durston after making 46 from 31 balls. Like Stokes, Muchall hit a six the ball before he was dismissed with Durston taking 2 wickets in 2 overs for the Falcons however the damage had already been done with Durham needing just 18 from 27 when Muchall left the crease.
Gareth Breese and Michael Richardson were the new batsmen in and it was left to them to get Durham over the line and they did just this.
Richardson sealed the victory with a six, hitting the winning runs for a 3rd time in Durham’s 4 wins this season with the Dynamos getting home with 8 balls to spare.
The win puts Durham up to 3rd position in the Northern pool and with two matches remaining, both at home against Leicestershire and Derbyshire, a berth in the finals is well within reach.
We are encouraging Durham fans to come out in force and support the team in their final two matches and hopefully get them to the quarter finals.
If you purchase tickets for one of the games we will give you a ticket for the other game for just £5 for adults and £1 for juniors! Simply contact the box office for more info on (0844) 4994466.
Dynamos v Leicestershire Foxes- Thursday 25th July
Dynamos v Derbyshire Falcons- Sunday 28th July