Durham significantly boosted their chances of reaching the knockout stages of the Metro Bank One-Day Cup when they defeated Essex by 20 runs at Darlington.
Colin Ackermann made 80 not out and Ben Stokes a 27-ball 43 in the home side’s 229 for five in a rain-shortened game of 38 overs a side. Kasey Aldridge’s bowlers then defended that score despite Noah Thain making 76, in the course of which the opener passed 500 runs in this year’s 50-over competition. James Minto finished with three for 45.
Morning rain delayed play until 12.45 but the 2000-strong sell-out crowd could not complain about the entertainment on offer in the first hour of the game.
Alex Lees was caught at second slip for nought off the third ball of the innings when he edged Jamie Porter to Matt Critchley and Durham were soon 30 for three in the seventh over. Ollie Robinson was caught by Critchley off Charlie Bennett for three and Will Rhodes was bowled by Porter for 13.
Stokes then hit five fours and two thunderous straight sixes in a memorable 27-ball 43 before he was caught behind by Simon Fernandes off Simon Harmer’s third ball of the innings.
That wicket left Durham on 87 for four in the 13th over but David Bedingham made 38 before he was leg-before to Mackenzie Jones and the remainder of the innings was dominated by Ackermann and Aldridge, who put on an unbroken 103 in 16 overs, Aldridge finishing unbeaten on 35. Porter finished with two for 42 from eight overs.
Essex’s pursuit of 230 began poorly when they lost Luc Benkenstein, caught at cover off Duanne Olivier for nine in the fifth over. But by the time, Tom Westley was bowled by Will Rhodes for 17, Thain was unbeaten on 47 and batting confidently.
Rhodes took his second wicket when he had Matt Critchley leg-before for four and the former Warwickshire skipper then caught Grant Roelofsen at mid-on off Aldridge for eight. That left Essex on 110 for four in 22nd over and they lost the crucial wicket of Thain two overs later when the opener looked to complete a second run but was beaten by Shafiqullah Ghafari’s throw to the bowler’s end from midwicket.
Harmer and Fernandes put on 47 in eight overs before Harmer was leg before to Ghafari for 32 and at the end of that over, Essex needed 62 off six overs. The calculation was reduced to 50 runs off four. Zaman Akhter fell to Minto and the visitors’ requirement became ever tougher. Jones hit the same bowler for two sixes in the penultimate over but then became Minto’s third victim.