Durham skipper Mark Stoneman insists it is “the biggest game of the season” for his side as they prepare for an all-or-nothing clash against Derbyshire in the Royal London One-Day Cup.
Stoneman will be hoping for more of the same following the 146-run thrashing of Leicestershire in their last 50-over match, but knows Derbyshire will be testing opponents in Monday’s RL Cup tie at the Emirates Durham ICG.
If Durham beat Derbyshire they are relying on other results, but with nine points in the bag they will probably go through to the last eight knock-out stage. However, defeat will mean they will definitely not progress any further in a competition they won last September at Lord’s.
Stoneman is under no illusions about the importance of Monday’s tie and is desperate for his team to win.
He told www.durhamccc.co.uk “It’s quite simple really, this is the biggest game of the season for us and we know how tough it is going to be against a very good Derbyshire side.
“We can’t win the LV County Championship this season and so the only trophy we can now win is the Royal London One-Day Cup and that’s still very much our aim. We obviously want to finish as high as we can in the league in the four-day game but the cup is still there, still up for grabs. We have got to beat Derbyshire, hope the other results go our way and then get into the quarter-finals.”
Durham hit form at just the right time last year as they started their RL Cup group matches poorly but finished with back-to-back victories to qualify for the last eight. They then beat three of the strongest one day sides in the country in a row as Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire were all overcome, the latter in a memorable final at Lord’s.
Stoneman said: “We showed we can play against and beat the very best teams and I’m convinced we can do it again. Earlier this season we went to Northamptonshire and Somerset and came back with two really good wins. We then suffered a dip in form but the win at Leicester has really got us going again. We batted well, bowled well and won by a distance. We have got to do the same against Derbyshire and hope it is enough for us to qualify.”
Stoneman reserved special praise for Scott Borthwick, who delivered career best figures with both bat and ball in the victory at Grace Road.
The Durham skipper said: “Scott had a terrific game and his innings coming in at No3 was outstanding. All the players know how important their individual contribution is and we know we have all got to perform on the day against Derbyshire, who have some high class players in their ranks.
“We have played very well, in parts, in the RL Cup, but we have to perform as a team against Derbyshire because that is the only way we are going to beat them. We have to bat well, field well and bowl well and if we do all three I’m convinced that will be enough. Anything less than that and they are a good enough side to punish us.
“If we get the victory we will have nine points from our group games which was the same amount we got last season and it was enough to see us into the quarters. We have to hope it is enough this time and I think it will be.”