Durham overcome Yorkshire by a comprehensive margin

Durham claimed an easy win over Yorkshire in a match of the County Championship Division One by 146 runs, at the Headingley, Leeds in England. Durham scored 327 and 311 for six (declared), whereas the hosts managed 149 and 343 in both their innings.

Seasoned South African campaigner and Durham’s captain, Dale Benkenstein, won the toss and chose to bat in good batting conditions. The wicket was dry and didn’t have much movement off the seam and in the air for the bowlers.

The start for the visitors was brilliant, as their openers Michael Di Venuto and Will Smith put together 106 runs for the first wicket. Di Venuto played aggressive cricket, scoring 74 runs from just 84 balls. He struck 13 fours in his innings before being dismissed eventually.

The fall of the first wicket saw a collapse for the visiting team, as wickets started to tumble. Durham lost six wickets in a span of just 28 runs and things started to look grim for them.

However, wicket-keeper batsman, Michael Richardson, and lower-order batsman, Scott Borthwick, batted sensibly, guiding their team to 196 with a 62 run stand for the seventh wicket. Borthwick got out after scoring 13 runs from 41 deliveries whereas the wicket-keeper batsman was sent back to the pavilion after adding 67 runs to the total.

Things didn’t end there for the visitors, as Liam Plunkett and Callum Thorp amassed a century stand for the ninth wicket. Thorp missed-out on a half-century getting out on 41 whereas Plunkett remained unbeaten on 66, until he ran out of partners from the other end.

Left-arm seamer, Ryan Sidebottom, shined for the home team, taking four wickets in the innings.

In reply to Durham’s first innings total, Yorkshire batsmen were below par. Opening batsman Joe Root top scored the innings with 45 runs, but no other batsman was able to score much runs apart from him. The second highest score of the innings came from middle-order batsman, Gerard Brophy, who remained unbeaten on 19.

Graham Onions was instrumental with the ball, claiming a five-wicket first-innings haul. He got good support from his new balling partner Thorp, who scalped three victims.

Durham had a comfortable first innings lead of 178 runs and they added 311 more runs to it, giving a massive target of 490 runs to the home team. Benkenstein was the star in the second innings for his team, scoring an unbeaten 150 runs off 213 balls. He smashed 17 fours and one towering six in his valiant knock. Wicketkeeper batsman Richardson also played a superb innings of 73 not out, until the innings was declared.

Moin Ashraf and Steven Patterson took two wickets apiece for Yorkshire in the second innings of the visitors.

Yorkshire played well in the second innings, but their dismal show in the first innings proved to be decisive in the match. Rich Pyrah top scored the innings with 87 runs whereas wicketkeeper batsman Jonathan Bairstow also batted well for his 81 runs. Their effort went in vain though, as the home team was all-out for 343.

Liam Plunkett bowled with accuracy for Durham in the final innings of the match, picking up three wickets.