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20th May 2014

Second X1 Round-Up: Running On Empty

The visitors could only manage 130-4 in their innings, but Durham stuttered to 103-9 in reply.

On a low-scoring day, the home batsmen fared better in the second match as Rammy Singh (54) and Stuart Poynter (44*) helped to post 132-4.

Lancashire secured a six wicket win with just two balls to spare, largely thanks to a half-century from South African Andrea Agathangelou.

Alastair Maiden’s side fared slightly better against Nottinghamshire this week, bouncing back form a defeat in the first game to secure an emphatic victory in the second fixture.

Notts set Durham 141 to win after Andy Ireland had impressed with the ball, as the Cumbrian youngster took 3-14 from his three overs. Left arm spinner David Foster also chipped in with two wickets for just 19 runs.

In reply, Ben Stokes top scored with 39 from 19 balls, but the visitors closed on 125-7. Fit-again Paul Coughlin was unbeaten on 31 at the end of the innings.

Durham struck back in the second match however, amassing 187-6 from their 20 overs, with Nottinghamshire falling 34 runs short.

Stokes smashed a 26-ball 56, Calum MacLeod extended his recent purple patch with 44 and wicketkeeper Poynter added an unbeaten 42.

Nottinghamshire’s reply never really gained any momentum, with Stokes (2-22) the pick of the bowlers.

“Defending it we did ok but we were always going to win with that score” said coach Alastair Maiden.

“The 187 we scored was outrageous really”

“We had a chat after the first game where we couldn’t get 140 and Ben said that he thought it was a good wicket and that 200 was a par score”

“Everybody laughed at that, but then he got us not far away!”

The sweet taste of victory only lasted for a little while though as a few of the players were left standing next to the A1 shortly afterwards.

“I got a phone call about an hour and a half up the motorway” Maiden reported.

“Stuart Poynter and Ryan Buckley were in the van and were driving along”

“The petrol meter was running down to zero but apparently Ryan said “Don’t worry, when it says nought there are still 20 miles left in the tank!”

“There wasn’t, so we had to stop and get a petrol canister to give them a bit of help on the side of the A1!”

Sadly, this isn’t an isolated incident for the second team’s beleaguered coach.

“The last trip we had, Calum MacLeod left his kit at home so he had to borrow all of his kit. Then we checked out of the hotel and Gavin Main had left all of his bags in the hotel”

“Gareth Breese, probably the most senior man in the squad, drove to a hotel in Derby for the match against Derbyshire but the game was at Glossop, which is near Manchester”

“So he was an hour and a half away from the team’s hotel”

Providing they can all make it and don’t forget their kit, the 2nd XI are next in action on Wednesday when they travel to Brandon Cricket Club to take on Derbyshire in T20 action.

“Derby haven’t got a first team game so they might have quite a strong team out” said Maiden.

“I think it’s safe to say we’re struggling to qualify now for finals day, so it’s a case of taking all the learning we can out of the game”

Durham’s squad for the match features two trialists, with Scotland International all-rounder Alasdair Evans and Peterborough born spinner David Foster both included.

The squad is: MacLeod*, Singh, Clark, Stokes, Breese, Poynter+, Burnham, Ireland, Buckley, Foster, Evans, Coughlin.