Di Venuto doubles up
Durham v Kent at Chester-le-Street. 9,10,11,12 May 2007
Durham 407 (MJ Di Venuto 204*, KJ Coetzer 74) and 319-6 dec. (MJ Di Venuto 58, PD Collingwood 58, DM Benkenstein 77*, GJ Park 61) Kent 400 (RWT Key 169, MJ Walker 72, LE Plunkett 5/105) and 169 (JL Denly 92, SJ Harmison 5/61)
Durham won by 157 runs
Durham 22 points, Kent 8 points
Following his move from Derbyshire, Michael Di Venuto continued his fine start to the season with his second century, carrying his bat for the second time in three matches.
Despite the efforts of Kent captain, Rob Key, to deprive him of the strike he dominated the opening day with a display of controlled aggression which brought him 204 off 248 balls.
His powerful cover drives and strong cuts and pulls were in sharp contrast to poor shots from other batters and he was grateful for support from Kyle Coetzer as the pair added 181 for the third wicket.
Windy conditions on the second day meant a struggle for the Durham bowlers but they stuck to their task as Rob Key made steady inroads into the Durham total. Liam Plunkett and Stephen Harmison shared nine wickets as the home side gained a seven run first innings lead.
Durham had scored quicker than Kent in their first innings and once again they batted positively at more than four runs per over. The highlight was a partnership of 145 for the sixth wicket between Dale Benkenstein and Garry Park. When rain disrupted the final morning session, Benkenstein declared. Kent’s target after further rain was an unlikely 372 in 60 overs.
With 21 overs left, Kent had seven wickets remaining, so a draw appeared inevitable. The dismissal of Darren Stephens sparked a collapse as Harmison and Plunkett continued to get the most out of a flat pitch. Joe Denly resisted for close to four hours with the highest score of his career so far, but it was to no avail.
The last pair had 13 overs to survive. The match ended in unusual circumstances when Robbie Joseph retired hurt to receive stitches in his ear after a ball from Harmison had hit him.
Durham went on to have an excellent season and finish second. Although Di Venuto made only one further hundred in the summer his consistent runs regularly gave Durham a solid start. During the match, the England selectors included Plunkett, Harmison and Paul Collingwood in the squad for the first Test match against the West Indies.