Durham v Sussex at Chester-le-Street, Jul 31-Aug 3
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Lord Bracknell
On fire
264/2 off 93 overs.
Bad light stopped play.
Durham are going so slowly that they will be hard pushed to reach maximum batting points in the 120 overs allowed. If they keep going at 2.83 an over, they won't even reach 350.
Bad light stopped play.
Durham are going so slowly that they will be hard pushed to reach maximum batting points in the 120 overs allowed. If they keep going at 2.83 an over, they won't even reach 350.
Barrel of Fun
Abort, retry, fail
On a side note, I am about to start 'From Minor to Major' by Simon Hughes. Anyone else read this book? Was quite tricky to track down.
the viscount
New member
Michael Di Venuto and Will Smith press Durham's case for second title
Durham 264-2 v Sussex
Di Venuto Kent v Durham
Michael Di Venuto was in fine form for Durham.
When Durham lifted the county championship trophy for the first time in their history last year, they did so having won only six matches of 16 played. With five wins already this season, and a 24-point lead at the top of the table, victory over Sussex would go a long way towards assuring the youngest first-class county of a second successive title and, given the unhurried certainty with which their batsmen played today, it may be only the weather which prevents them securing that win.
Sir Bobby Robson, an honorary life member of the club and in recent years a frequent visitor to The Riverside, would have been proud. The availability of Steve Harmison, once again released by England, and by all accounts increasingly cheesed off about it, might have given Will Smith pause for thought before the Durham captain chose to bat after winning the toss, but not for long. The pitches on this ground have improved steadily in recent years and this one was white and flat in the bright morning sunshine.
Sussex did make an early breakthrough, when Mark Stoneman pushed at a shortish delivery from Yasir Arafat that he should have left alone and edged to Mike Yardy at first slip but otherwise there was little to encourage the visiting seamers.
The older heads such as Jason Lewry, Arafat and Corey Collymore quickly accepted that accuracy, rather than variety, should be their watchword and Michael Di Venuto and Smith were made to work hard for their runs.
Luke Wright, younger and less worldly-wise, was more inclined to try some-thing different and during the morning session Di Venuto, in particular, punished him for it, especially when hitting consecutive short balls to the cover boundaryoff the back foot in going to his half-century.
Even so the England selector James Whitaker, at The Riverside on Harmison-watch, will have noted that Wright bowled with impressive pace and heart. Smith, scratchy in the early part of his innings, accelerated after lunch. A straight drive off Collymore, a neat clip off his legs to the midwicket boundary off Lewry and a flashing square drive off Yasir took him past 50.
Spin, as purveyed by Yardy and Ollie Rayner, proved equally ineffective asDi Venuto and Smith took their partnership towards 200 and Di Venuto reached his century, his fourth of the season and second against Sussex, shortly after tea.
Smith followed, his ton coming off 291 balls, before Collymore bowled him with a delivery that kept low. There was solace for the visitors but only in the thought that they took maximum batting points in their last two games, against Warwickshire and Hampshire, and that the forecast suggests that much of today's play could be lost to rain.
Every time they glanced towards the pavilion, however, they will have seen Harmison brooding, feet up on the balcony. While speculation that he will announce his retirement from international cricket at the end of the Ashes series continues, the 30-year-old fast bowler had nothing to say yesterday. With 42 first-class wickets to his name already this season, Sussex must fear he will continue to do his talking with the ball.
Durham 264-2 v Sussex
Di Venuto Kent v Durham
Michael Di Venuto was in fine form for Durham.
When Durham lifted the county championship trophy for the first time in their history last year, they did so having won only six matches of 16 played. With five wins already this season, and a 24-point lead at the top of the table, victory over Sussex would go a long way towards assuring the youngest first-class county of a second successive title and, given the unhurried certainty with which their batsmen played today, it may be only the weather which prevents them securing that win.
Sir Bobby Robson, an honorary life member of the club and in recent years a frequent visitor to The Riverside, would have been proud. The availability of Steve Harmison, once again released by England, and by all accounts increasingly cheesed off about it, might have given Will Smith pause for thought before the Durham captain chose to bat after winning the toss, but not for long. The pitches on this ground have improved steadily in recent years and this one was white and flat in the bright morning sunshine.
Sussex did make an early breakthrough, when Mark Stoneman pushed at a shortish delivery from Yasir Arafat that he should have left alone and edged to Mike Yardy at first slip but otherwise there was little to encourage the visiting seamers.
The older heads such as Jason Lewry, Arafat and Corey Collymore quickly accepted that accuracy, rather than variety, should be their watchword and Michael Di Venuto and Smith were made to work hard for their runs.
Luke Wright, younger and less worldly-wise, was more inclined to try some-thing different and during the morning session Di Venuto, in particular, punished him for it, especially when hitting consecutive short balls to the cover boundaryoff the back foot in going to his half-century.
Even so the England selector James Whitaker, at The Riverside on Harmison-watch, will have noted that Wright bowled with impressive pace and heart. Smith, scratchy in the early part of his innings, accelerated after lunch. A straight drive off Collymore, a neat clip off his legs to the midwicket boundary off Lewry and a flashing square drive off Yasir took him past 50.
Spin, as purveyed by Yardy and Ollie Rayner, proved equally ineffective asDi Venuto and Smith took their partnership towards 200 and Di Venuto reached his century, his fourth of the season and second against Sussex, shortly after tea.
Smith followed, his ton coming off 291 balls, before Collymore bowled him with a delivery that kept low. There was solace for the visitors but only in the thought that they took maximum batting points in their last two games, against Warwickshire and Hampshire, and that the forecast suggests that much of today's play could be lost to rain.
Every time they glanced towards the pavilion, however, they will have seen Harmison brooding, feet up on the balcony. While speculation that he will announce his retirement from international cricket at the end of the Ashes series continues, the 30-year-old fast bowler had nothing to say yesterday. With 42 first-class wickets to his name already this season, Sussex must fear he will continue to do his talking with the ball.
the viscount
New member
The older heads such as Jason Lewry, Arafat and Corey Collymore quickly accepted that accuracy, rather than variety, should be their watchword and Michael Di Venuto and Smith were made to work hard for their runs.
Seems the bowling of our 3 main strike bowlers was not as bad it all looked .lets give credit were its due and support the boys who are trying there utmost to take wickets.
Seems the bowling of our 3 main strike bowlers was not as bad it all looked .lets give credit were its due and support the boys who are trying there utmost to take wickets.
John Boy
Paul McShane
275/2
Lord Bracknell
On fire
GJ Muchall c †Hodd b Yasir Arafat 14
280/3 (100.0 overs)
280/3 (100.0 overs)
Horton's halftime iceberg
Blooming Marvellous
Don't talk ill of former Sussex stars, we need to get him out and then tell him he shoud have stayed with a big club (if the overseas player quota was different).
Lord Bracknell
On fire
286/3 (103 overs) at lunch
Di Venuto 149 no
Only 10 overs bowled this session ... Durham scored 22 runs and lost 1 wicket.
Di Venuto 149 no
Only 10 overs bowled this session ... Durham scored 22 runs and lost 1 wicket.
the viscount
New member
from tthe Argus Argus by our man Bruce:
"It is on days like this, when the pitch is flat and there is little assistance from the overhead conditions, that Sussex miss Mushtaq Ahmed so much, a bowler who offered something different and made things happen.
We had a brief glimpse of his qualities earlier this season in the guise of Indian leggie Piyush Chawla who took 19 wickets in two games as well as scoring an unbeaten hundred. Yasir Arafat keeps running in and has bowled superbly at times in one-day cricket for Sussex this season but, if the county are not looking to bring back Chawla next season, then a rival county surely will be. "
Bruce also says:
"Tom Smith is with the squad as 12th man this week after a proposed loan move to Worcestershire broke down.
Sussex were happy to let him go providing the Pears didn’t play him when the sides meet at Hove in a fortnight.
Worcestershire thought that unreasonable so pulled out although Smith, starved of opportunities since playing in the opening Championship game, may play a second-team game for Surrey on a trial basis next week. "
We defintalty need some one like Chawla next season as this is going to be a hard last 7 county games
"It is on days like this, when the pitch is flat and there is little assistance from the overhead conditions, that Sussex miss Mushtaq Ahmed so much, a bowler who offered something different and made things happen.
We had a brief glimpse of his qualities earlier this season in the guise of Indian leggie Piyush Chawla who took 19 wickets in two games as well as scoring an unbeaten hundred. Yasir Arafat keeps running in and has bowled superbly at times in one-day cricket for Sussex this season but, if the county are not looking to bring back Chawla next season, then a rival county surely will be. "
Bruce also says:
"Tom Smith is with the squad as 12th man this week after a proposed loan move to Worcestershire broke down.
Sussex were happy to let him go providing the Pears didn’t play him when the sides meet at Hove in a fortnight.
Worcestershire thought that unreasonable so pulled out although Smith, starved of opportunities since playing in the opening Championship game, may play a second-team game for Surrey on a trial basis next week. "
We defintalty need some one like Chawla next season as this is going to be a hard last 7 county games
Lord Bracknell
On fire
Durham motoring along now.
330/3 off 111 overs ... 44 runs since lunch, off 8 overs. I wonder if they're aiming for maximum batting points. They need another 70 off 9 overs. That could be our opportunity to take some wickets.
Lord Bracknell
On fire
352/3 off 114 overs.
22 off the last 3 overs. Keep that up and they'll have 396 at 120 overs. Accellerate a little bit more and they'll reach the 400.
22 off the last 3 overs. Keep that up and they'll have 396 at 120 overs. Accellerate a little bit more and they'll reach the 400.
Lord Bracknell
On fire
367/3 off 117 overs.
Lord Bracknell
On fire
They've eased up on the chase.
373/3 off 119 overs.
373/3 off 119 overs.
Lord Bracknell
On fire
120 overs are up.
Durham 4 batting points
Sussex 1 bowling point
380/3
Di Venuto 194 no.
You have to hand it to the guy. He's good.
Durham 4 batting points
Sussex 1 bowling point
380/3
Di Venuto 194 no.
You have to hand it to the guy. He's good.
John Boy
Paul McShane
453/4
Di Venuto is 236no
Di Venuto is 236no
Lord Bracknell
On fire
Benkenstein c Joyce b C Nash 69
255 n/o