DURHAM ended a run of five National League defeats at Riverside yesterday with a surprisingly easy win against a Hampshire side going full tilt for promotion.
The highlights of the seven-wicket win were a stand of 91 between Nicky Peng and Paul Collingwood and one-day best figures of four for 20 for Graeme Bridge, although the real damage was done early on by impressive pace bowling from Liam Plunkett and Stephen Harmison.
Needing only 132 to win, Durham got home in 25.3 overs and as the sun-baked crowd dispersed almost 90 minutes ahead of schedule they at least had the satisfaction of having seen Collingwood mark his return to one-day action with a high-class 48 off 50 balls.
He was out with eight runs needed, but Peng remained unbeaten on 56.
We were led to believe that the Hampshire team would be a very different kettle of fish from that which lost the championship clash by an innings and 115 runs.
After winning ten of their last 11 National League games to move into second place, they were said to be far more interested in this than in climbing away from second bottom place in the main event.
They batted just as feebly, however, and despite a last-wicket stand of 30 were all out for 131, the lowest completed innings in the competition by a visiting side on this ground.
The previous worst was 144 by Sussex in 2001, when Mark Davies took four for 13. But this time he was rested, along with Nicky Hatch, following their exertions in the championship and the value of fresh legs was quickly apparent.
Harmison and Plunkett grabbed two wickets each to reduce the visitors to 34 for four after Neil Killeen's opening two overs had cost 21 runs.
Following his career-best seven for 70 after the follow-on was enforced in the four-day game, Killeen could be excused for being a little weary and Simon Katich drove him for fours with minimum effort and maximum timing.
Plunkett, however, struck with the first ball of the second over. Looking very sprightly after playing in two of the three Under 19 Tests against South Africa, he found the edge of James Hamblin's bat to give Phil Mustard the first of his four catches.
Harmison replaced Killeen with the score on 26 for one after four overs and conceded only one run to Katich, who pushed forward to the first ball of Plunkett's next over and edged to Mustard.
Harmison then forced Derek Kenway to play on and two overs later visiting captain John Crawley played a textbook forward defensive shot, only to edge to Collingwood at first slip.
Hampshire opted to stand by the batsmen who have been winning these matches for them, which meant there was no place for Robin Smith or Nic Pothas, who only recently recovered from injury.
Left-hander John Francis dug in with Dimitri Mascarenhas to add 24 as Harmison began to stray a little from his previously impressive line. But he struck again when Mascarenhas tried to withdraw his bat and gave Mustard another catch.
The score was helped along by four overthrows off Plunkett as Peng went close to running out Francis, but at 70 for five after 16 overs Durham were able to recall Killeen.
Only nine runs came off the next ten overs from Killeen and Collingwood as Hampshire tried to avoid total collapse.
Lawrence Prittipaul faced 14 balls without scoring before he drove at Collingwood and Gary Pratt leapt to hold a stunning right-handed catch above his head at point.
Two balls later he failed to hang on to something similar from Shaun Udal, who then knuckled down with Francis until Harmison's return loosened the shackles as nine came off his first over back.
But the decision to start playing shots again soon cost Hampshire a wicket as Francis fell for 25 when he tried to sweep Bridge and top-edged to Mustard.
The last time Bridge bowled in this competition at Riverside he was smashed for 24 in his first over by Nottinghamshre's Kevin Pietersen, but this time he was able to settle straight into a good rhythm and took the last four wickets.
He had Udal lbw for 16 then turned one to have Chris Tremlett caught at slip by Martin Love to make it 101 for nine.
Sri Lankan Chaminda Vaas showed he was no fool with the bat by hooking Harmison for four in his last over as the England paceman finished with three for 31.
Alan Mullally contributed ten to his stand of 30 with Vaas before he heaved at Bridge and was bowled with 5.1 overs unused.
As Durham had a best opening stand of 11 in their last seven one-day matches, they sent in Love and he and Peng had 33 on the board before Vaas swung one in to defeat Love's drive in the sixth over and have him lbw for 17.
Ashley Thorpe pushed forward at the next ball and edged it for wicketkeeper Kenway to take a good diving catch.
Peng lived a little dangerously, skying Mascarenhas just clear of the man racing back from extra cover on 12. But there were also plenty of cracking shots through the covers and his only slog saw him caught at deep point off a free-hit following a Tremlett no-ball.
Hampshire waited until the score was 73 for two after 15 overs before bringing on Mullally for Vaas. Mascarenhas, who has 29 wickets in the competition this season, had already bowled two expensive spells at the other end and it was too late for Mullally to have any impact.
Collingwood cut his former England one-day colleague for an immaculate four then twice tucked him through mid-wicket to catch Peng on 34.
He could have been out for 24, however, when Tremlett failed to lay a hand on a swirling catch as he ran back from mid-on.
Peng moved ahead again and pulled Mascarenhas for his ninth four to reach 50 off 64 balls. But with only eight wanted Collingwood drove at Prittipaul's medium pace and was lbw, leaving Pratt to complete the task with Peng.
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