Rushworth routs Northants
Durham v Northamptonshire at Chester-le-Street. [15],16, 17 September 2014
Durham 392 (SG Borthwick 136, PD Collingwood 101, N Wagner 5/104) Northamptonshire 83 (C Rushworth 9/52) and 90 (C Rushworth 6/43)
Durham won by an innings and 219 runs: Durham 23 points, Northamptonshire 3 points
After a first-day washout, Durham were keen to bat quickly. Scott Borthwick and Paul Collingwood duly obliged. They both made centuries and added 187 together in 41 overs which remains a county record for the fifth wicket against Northamptonshire.
Borthwick became the first locally born batsman to twice score 1,000 Championship runs for Durham. There was a hint of what was to follow when Neil Wagner and Mohammad Azharullah got the old ball to move late in the day.
After a delayed start due to bad light the next few hours were scarcely believable. Chris Rushworth made the most of overcast conditions, moving the ball both ways, as the visitors were dismissed twice in 40.2 overs. The pitch was blameless as poor batting against excellent bowling produced a memorable day.
Rushworth’s match figures of 15 for 97 improved on the performance of bowling coach, Alan Walker, in 1995 to set a Durham record which still stands. He had bowled only 120 deliveries in the two innings. Hedley Verity of Yorkshire in 1936 is the only other bowler to take 15 wickets in less than 150 balls in England since the First World War.
Walker was delighted. He praised Rushworth’s improved fitness and the fact that he had regularly beaten the bat all season without gaining a reward. It was a view shared by Rushworth who said “there wasn’t that much swing, but the pitch was offering some help so I just tried to hit the seam and get the ball in the right area. I was also helped by some good catches.
The rapid conclusion to the match gave Durham an extra day to prepare for the Royal London Cup Final against Warwickshire. Durham won that by three wickets to claim a fifth trophy in eight seasons.