Lehmann hurts Durham

Lehmann marked his return from one-day duty with Australia by thrashing 70 off 63 balls against Durham at the Riverside, holding a stunning catch at a crucial point and also taking two wickets to make sure of the Man of the Match award.

For the most part depleted Durham continued to look out of their depth in division one of the National League, getting within 30 runs of their target only because of an unbroken last-wicket stand of 45.

The crowd of more than 3,000 were treated to some exhilarating strokeplay as Yorkshire amassed 269 for five and there was a point when it seemed Durham might mount a challenge as Jon Lewis and Gary Pratt scored 21 in two overs to take their fourth wicket stand to 83.

But with the score on 147 in the 28th over Lewis drove off-spinner Richard Dawson's third ball fiercely to short extra cover.

Lehmann leapt to knock the ball up one-handed then clung on to the rebound as he fell to ground to complete the catch.

Pratt, with a previous top one-day score - other than against Wales - of 23, played very well to complete Durham's first half-century in their five straight defeats in division one.

But in Dawson's second over he fell for 61, made off 79 balls, when he went for a big hit and skied a catch to Lehmann at mid-on.

Two overs later Durham were 161 for seven and the contest was over well before Neil Killeen and Nicky Hatch enjoyed their last-wicket fling, with 20 coming off the final over from Gary Fellows.

Dawson finished with four for 37, his best figures in the one-day league.

Chris Silverwood, continuing his pinch-hitting role at No 3, blasted 58 off 32 balls to help Yorkshire to their daunting total.

Although Durham equalled it against Derbyshire last season, the only higher total made at the Riverside in the one-day league was Leicestershire's 344 for four in 1996.

Yorkshire picked up momentum as early as the fourth over, which produced ten runs as Matthew Wood drove and pulled Hatch for two fours.

After that the only lull came when Mark Davies settled down impressively after being pulled for three successive fours by Silverwood in his first over.

Killeen bowled a tight opening spell and claimed the wicket of Wood when Andrew Pratt came up to the stumps to restrict the batsman and held on to an edged drive.

That brought in Silverwood and he raced to his third one-day 50 of the season in only 29 balls. He had little need to slog as Durham presented him with plenty of opportunities to find the boundary and there were a few quality strokes among his 11 fours and one six.

He was on 17 when he pulled Hatch over mid-wicket for six before lofting the next ball just out of Davies' reach at deep mid-off.

He profited most from the pull as Craig White, who had dominated the opening stand of 32, was reduced to a dormant partner as Silverwood made all but 13 of their stand of 71.

He was bowled trying to work a good length ball from Davies to leg and in the next over White edged to Andrew Pratt when trying to cut Graeme Bridge.

Lehmann had made only two when he thumped Bridge over long-on for the first of his two sixes and the left-arm spinner was unable to command his usual respect as he conceded seven an over.

Lewis continually shuffled his bowlers in an attempt to unsettle Lehmann and Anthony McGrath, but it took a run-out to part the fourth wicket pair after a stand of 75 in 16 overs.

McGrath pushed to mid-on, set off, hesitated and finally went again to make sure he didn't sacrifice his captain.

But his exit for 40 accelerated the scoring as Michael Lumb joined an alliance of clean striking left-handers and 50 came off six overs.

Lehmann slogged Bridge to cow corner for his second six, but in trying something similar when Killeen returned for the 41st over he was superbly caught by Gordon Muchall. The youngster made a difficult chance look easy, which is always the mark of a natural sportsman.

Lumb continued to pepper the leg-side boundary off both Killeen and Dann Law to finish with 42 not out off 33 balls.

Durham doubled their previous highest opening stand in the competition this season before Nicky Peng, who had made seven of the ten runs, went down the pitch to Tim Bresnan, only to edge an ungainly drive to Richard Blakey.

Muchall opened up with a glorious cover drive off Bresnan and played several more good-looking strokes to reach 20 before getting an inside edge into his stumps.

It became 64 for three when Marc Symington edged to Blakey in White's first over, probably surprised by the pace of a bowler who has not been operating flat out.

There is a feeling that since being promoted to open the batting in both forms of cricket White no longer wishes to take his bowling as seriously. But Yorkshire want him to bend his previously suspect back and regular observers reckoned his first over yesterday his quickest of the season.

He was twice pulled by Gary Pratt in his next over, however, and Lehmann took him off, apparently hoping to pick up some easy wickets with his own left-arm spin with Durham needing to accelerate.

But he also took himself off after two overs and turned to McGrath, whose two overs cost 22 as Lewis began to play with real fluency.

His unfortunate exit signalled the end for Durham, especially as Law faced only two balls before wandering down the pitch as the ball lobbed off his pad to Blakey, who completedingiin six overs before a defiant 32 off 36 balls from Andrew Pratt ended when he was caught at deep mid-wicket to bring the last-wicket pair together with 75 needed off six overs.

It was, of course, a last cause but they kept up the entertainment to the end, with Killeen hitting the last ball over long-on for six.

Read more about Durham here.