Pair keep season alive

Their unbroken stand of 52 hauled Durham above visitors Worcestershire into second place in the second division of the totesport League.

Collingwood has often been cast in the role of finisher by England, but it was Pratt who took on that mantle with 35 off 27 balls to clinch a five-wicket win with two overs to spare.

Collingwood's unbeaten 63 was his highest one-day score since he thrashed 102 not out against the same opponents 12 weeks ago.

After winning 52 one-day international caps he was in no mood to be upstaged by the three visiting players recalled to the England one-day squad.

Gareth Batty and Kabir Ali had combined figures of none for 81, while Vikram Solanki's promising innings of 37 was ended by Collingwood himself.

The match was played at the pavilion side of the Riverside square, where pitches are always slow, so Worcestershire's 205 for seven always looked likely to be a competitive total.

They chose to bat on a hot afternoon but struggled to adapt to the pace of the surface after playing on much faster ones at New Road this season.

The Worcester groundsman took the top two inches of soil off the square last winter and his relaid surfaces have produced a lot more runs, helping Durham to their record one-day league total of 319 for three in May.

Until yesterday their top score at Riverside was the 203 for nine they made against Scotland on the same strip used for yesterday's match.

Skipper Jon Lewis provided a superb lead in the field with his diving stops in the covers and was well supported by the likes of Gary Pratt and Collingwood.

But Collingwood clearly felt his knee injury in making one diving stop, and Durham's standards began to slip under the pressure of Worcestershire stepping up the tempo in the last 15 overs.

There were three missed chances, a misfield which cost three runs and a run out opportunity which produced an overthrow.

The three dropped catches were all difficult but costly as they came during a crucial fourth wicket stand of 73 between opener Stephen Moore and the experienced Yorkshireman David Leatherdale.

They came together with Worcestershire rocking on 82 for three after Moore had put on 66 for the first wicket with Solanki.

After good bowling by Graham Onions removed Graeme Hick for one and Ben Smith for two, the scoring rate dropped even further with the introduction of spinners Graeme Bridge and Marcus North.

After going along at four an over, Worcestershire added only 26 between the 20th and 30th overs before the fourth wicket pair pressed the accelerator.

Moore, who made 93 not out, was on 43 when Gary Pratt just failed to hang on to a fierce cut off Onions, and Bridge conceded two sixes which could have been catches.

Liam Plunkett failed to get a hand on the first, which would have been easy had he been back on the rope at long-off instead of five yards in, then Neil Killeen misjudged one at long-on.

Bridge found encouraging turn early in his spell, but he didn't bowl as well as at Cleethorpes the previous week and his last few overs were expensive as he finished with none for 43.

North also became expensive as 26 runs came off the 35th and 36th overs, prompting Lewis to bring on Gareth Breese.

He had Leatherdale caught at long-on by Collingwood for 41 in his first over and kept it tight in the last five overs, while Killeen proved costly.

Having conceded only 18 runs in his opening seven-over spell, Killeen went for 22 in two overs at the death.

Killeen caused early problems for Solanki, and Moore was almost run out without facing a ball as Solanki got off the mark with a single to backward point, where Pratt swooped to hit the stumps.

Plunkett found the edge of Solanki's bat, but the ball fell well short of Marcus North, which suggested the slips were too deep for the pace of the pitch.

Two glorious off-side drives in the same over took Solanki to ten, but then he was all but bowled when driving at Killeen. Andrew Pratt's failure to take the ball cleanly might have cost him a stumping chance, but he tried to atone with two pieces of slick work in later Killeen overs. Both appeals were turned down by Jeremy Lloyds.

Solanki's wristy strokes were looking increasingly impressive and when Collingwood came on with the total on 60 after 15 overs he was immediately driven for a straight four.

But Collingwood quickly had his revenge as Solanki tried to work him through mid-wicket and fell lbw for 37.

Hick, who was out second ball when the sides met at Worcester this season, was beaten on nought by Onions, and in the youngster's next over he tried to pick him up over mid-wicket and lobbed an easy catch to Breese at square leg.

When Smith quickly followed those capable of giving the visitors a commanding total had gone, but with wicketkeeper Steve Rhodes due to come in at No 10 they bat in depth.

The experience of Leatherdale ensured there would be no collapse, and after taking 97 balls to reach his 50 Moore accelerated nicely to reach his best one-day score.

The Durham innings began in very similar fashion to Worcestershire's with Nicky Peng playing Solanki's role with some excellent strokes. But after making 34 out of 57 he pushed forward and was bowled by Andrew Hall.

North moved comfortably to 20 but was then starved of the strike and fell for 26 in the 20th over when he chipped a slower ball from Hall to mid-on.

It was an excellent spell from Hall, the former Burnmoor and Durham Board X1 player who is now a South African Test player.

The 20-over scores were identical at 79 for two and the introduction of off-spinner Gareth Batty promised to be crucial.

Lewis quickly drove him though extra cover for four, and when Hall made way for the Leatherdale's medium pace Collingwood immediately drove him over mid-on.

The pair had put on 62 in 13 overs when Lewis drove to mid-wicket for 41, and there was a major wobble as 6ft 5in seamer Nadeem Malik picked up two more wickets.

Gary Pratt drove loosely and was bowled, then Breese was adjudged lbw when well forward.

But Andrew Pratt struck the ball confidently from the outset, and a six over mid-wicket when Batty returned with 26 needed off five overs virtually settled it.

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