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Di Venuto inspires Durham victory

category: Cricket

27.05.2008 00:26

A Michael Di Venuto century sent Durham into the Friends Provident Trophy quarter-finals and left Derbyshire's hopes hanging by a thread.

Di Venuto hit 138 in Durham's 288-7, but Derbyshire could only muster 181 in reply to lose by 117 runs.

Durham top the group having played all their games, but Derbyshire can draw level with victory over Scotland on Wednesday in the final match.

But Derbyshire can only go through if Lancashire beat Yorkshire on Wednesday.

Durham skipper Dale Benkenstein won the toss for the first time in the competition this season and chose to bat in the hope of boosting a run rate which was inferior to that of all of their rivals.

And inspired by opener Di Venuto, Durham set their visitors a challenging target.

The Tasmanian left-hander reached 50 off 55 balls and 100 off 109 and had hit 19 fours off 135 deliveries when he was out with two balls of the innings left.

His previous one-day best for Durham was a 66 at Old Trafford this season in a competition in which he averaged only 18.3 last year.

Wicket-keeper-batsman Phil Mustard added 24 before he drove at left-armer Graham Wagg and edged to wicket-keeper Frederik Klokker.

That brought Will Smith to the crease to contribute 55 from 85 balls in a stand of 142 before he was run out in the 33rd over.

Ben Harmison added 29 late on before Durham's Mark Davies, making his first one-day appearance of the season, made a vital breakthrough in the second over of Derbyshire's reply.

He forced Australian left-hander Chris Rogers to fish at a good ball and edge behind to Mustard before Dan Birch (23) and skipper Rikki Clarke (18) followed shortly after to leave Derbyshire reeling on 69-3.

Opener Steve Stubbings survived long enough to hit 33, while John Sadler made 46 but Durham off-spinner Gareth Breese took 5-41 in nine overs through two stumpings and three catches in the deep as Derbyshire surrendered in 37.5 overs.

Original text is here

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