FIFTEEN years ago almost to the day, on July 22, 2007, history was created at the Riverside ground in Chester-le-Street when 38-year-old Ottis Gibson became the first Durham county cricketer to take all ten wickets in an innings of a first class match.
He bowled out Hampshire in their first innings for 115 in 35.3 exhilarating overs.
Gibson, the former West Indies Test player, finished with the following analysis: 17.3 overs; 1 maiden; 47 runs; 10 wickets.
Gibson became only the 79th bowler in the history of the game to achieve the feat worldwide and only the ninth in games between English first class counties.
Middlesex bowler Richard Johnson had been the last man to do it in an English county game with 10-45 at Derby in 1994.
West Hartlepool-born Alf Morris took 10-130 for Durham against Yorkshire XI at Barnsley on July 13, 1910, but that would not be classed as a first class game. At the time he was the Sunderland professional.
Otis Gibson celebrates taking his tenth wicket
On that day 15 years ago, Durham batted first and posted 252 with skipper Dale Benkenstein hitting 114 and Ben Harmison 66. They did well to reach that score because at one stage they were 29-5. But Benkenstein and Ben Harmison put on 154 for the sixth wicket to take the score to 183 before Gibson joined his skipper at the crease.
The Barbadian player hit three boundaries and one six in his 28 runs and Durham were on 237 when he was lbw to James Bruce.
The Saturday was a wash-out so all the action took place on the Sunday. The Northern Echo cricket writer Tim Wellock wrote: "The day belonged to Gibson who employed a clever blend of swing and seam to have five batsmen taken off edged catches, four of them straightforward chances to wicketkeeper Phil Mustard. Two were lbw, two bowled and Nick Pothas drove a return catch.
“The only man he could not shift was Durham University graduate Michael Brown who carried his bat for 56.
"After 15 overs Gibson had 8-40 but he enjoyed no further success in his next two overs before rain arrived with Hampshire on 111-8 in reply to Durham's 252.
“In his first over after the restart, left hander David Griffiths fended off the first ball just short of gully then edged the next to Mustard.
"The script could not have been bettered as there was to be no frustrating wait for the fairytale to be completed with the next ball pitching on a perfect length on middle stump and moving away to knock out off."
Gibson celebrates his 10th wicket with Ben Harmison
Gibson had 5-31 from 12 overs at lunch and after lunch took wickets in his 13th, 14th and 15th overs, the middle one being that of Shane Warne who stayed back to a full length in-swinger and played across it to fall lbw.
Hampshire though avoided the follow-on so Durham declared their second innings on 221-5.
When Hampshire batted for the second time, Gibson started where he had left off and took the first two wickets. With the last ball of his third over, left-handed opener Michael Carberry aimed to drive well wide of off stump and sliced a catch to Liam Plunkett in the gully.
In Gibson's sixth over John Crawley shaped to play his trademark shot through mid-wicket but was beaten by late swing to be lbw for 12, which made the Hampshire score 39-2.
The Durham county cricket team of 2007. Back row, left to right: Colin Santuary (Sport Scientist), Brian Hunt (1st Team Scorer), Gary Park, Mark Turner, Kyle Coetzer, Philip Mustard, Mark Stoneman, Gary Pratt, Graeme Bridge, David Barrick, Gareth Breese, Richie Hamilton (2nd Team Scorer), Nigel Kent (Physio)
Front row: Callum Thorp, Ben Harrison, Graham Onions, Gordon Muchall, Neil Killeen, Martin Moxon (Head Coach), Stephen Harmison, Mark Davies, Jon Lewis, Ottis Gibson, James Lowe.
In pleasant weather, the pitch seemed to have dried into a lifeless strip which suited neither side's purpose and opener Michael Brown, 56 not out in the first innings, put on 61 runs in 21 overs with Michael Lumb as the game seemed to be heading for a draw.
However, three wickets fell in four overs, Lumb was lbw to Onions for 28, Chris Benham lasted only nine balls before he was bowled by Wiseman then Pothas departed two balls later, run out for a duck.
Hampshire were 132-5 with 37 overs left at tea. Mascarenhas fell to a catch at short leg off Wiseman before Brown completed his century with 18 overs remaining. Warne, after putting Hampshire back in the game with a quick half century, then Udal and Bruce all departed which left opener Brown and last man Griffiths together for 5.3 tension packed overs.
In that time, heroic opener Brown fended Gibson just short of gully while last man Griffiths was hit on the pad by a ball which looked to be going on to hit middle stump but was judged to have pitched outside leg.
So Hampshire hung on for a draw with 252-9.
The irony was that Gibson's 10 wicket haul, which was only the third in the county championship in the last 44 years, was perhaps overshadowed by Hampshire opening batsman Brown becoming only the seventh batsman to carry his bat in both innings of a first-class match.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here