Durham stumble against Leeds

DURHAM 2ND’S CRICKETERS got off to a flying start this season with wins against Newcastle and York, and on Wednesday faced their rivals Leeds Met Carnegie 2^nds in the third match in the BUCS Northern Conference League Division Two.

Both teams were unbeaten so far this season, and head the top of their division.

Facing the familiar blustery and chilly conditions that every resident of north-east England is well used to, Durham Men’s were optimistic of their chances in the clash between these two promising sides.

Winning the toss, Durham elected to maximise the conditions that would inevitably deteriorate as play went on and went in to bat.

Durham’s batting was opened by Chappell and Sharpe. With a magnificent glance shot from the red-helmeted Chappell to get four off a Leeds short pitch, Durham were off to a solid start after only a few minutes.

Following this play was defensive and slow-paced, the potent Leeds bowling exacerbated by the gusty wind. Nonetheless, Chappell made a satisfactory nineteen off 78 balls before being bowled.

Sharpe took over the role of aggressor to hit some sweet boundaries and contributed 27 before falling to the Leeds attack.

Rain threatened to chop the overs, but luckily it stayed away and the third batsman Bruce came to the crease.

Though unluckily caught after four, it was the star of Wednesday’s match, Jackson, that distracted from this and had Leeds back on their toes.

Shots were progressively more attacking, and greater risks were taken as confidence returned to the Durham batting order.

Jackson narrowly escaped being run out in a spectacular nose-dive across the line, and responded promptly from this scare with a sweeping four.

Outstanding batting following this brought him close to a half-century, before he was bowled for 42 all in the space of about three minutes. Suddenly, there was an urgency amongst all the players.

With Elsden and Bugge both contributing a decent fifteen and twelve respectively and Pickup out on an unlucky LBW after just one run, Durham finished up bowled out at 179.

With Leeds having to chase 180 for victory at Maiden Castle, Durham broke for lunch with a fair degree of confidence.

It was noted that Leeds Met needed an average of 0.6 runs per ball so it was pretty much in the balance.

The gamble of batting first with the weather looking threatening paid off, as the post-lunch conditions deteriorated and Durham now had to field in bitterly cold conditions.

However, they faced an uphill battle from the outset, with the Leeds openers gaining a handy 40 runs by the seventh over.

Yet the consistent and accurate efforts of the Durham bowlers meant that victory was by no means easy to come by, with constant pressure being applied from both ends of the pitch.

Leeds continued to cash in on some generous Durham fielding though, with top Leeds batsman Rickards racking up a century to bring the score to 179-3.

With only one run left to win, Durham promptly took a wicket with a sizzling ball that demolished the stumps in a last minute attempt to regain control of the match.

Leeds’s replacing batsman almost got caught out on each of the next few throws, but balls were dropped much to the dismay of the Durham fielder, raising the tension tenfold.

With a classy flick round the corner by Leeds’s Rickards, the match closed 180-3.

Sharpe stated on leaving the pitch, head held high, “Leeds just got off to an absolute flyer, and we just couldn’t catch them”.

Whilst this match did end in defeat, Durham can take solace in the developing skill of their bowling attack.

Though most of the Durham team were out to poor shot selection, it was mentioned by the Leeds players after the match that batsmen Farley and Jackson were particularly impressive, having calm, mature and measured innings, employing stalwart defensive shots, and patiently waiting to play their offensive shots.

Some things need to be worked on, but Durham can take heart from the efforts of Jackson, Sharpe and Chappel, whose performances impressed even the opposition.