Mustard in credit with a fine knock

WHICHEVER bank sponsors the 40-over competition, Phil Mustard will go on building his investment.

He was last season's player of the tournament under the Clydesdale backing, when he made three centuries, and he scored 91 and pulled off two stumpings yesterday as Durham beat Lancashire by five wickets.

They opened their Yorkshire Bank account following Sunday's defeat by Essex as they coasted to their first one-day league win at Old Trafford with 5.1 overs to spare.

Chasing Lancashire's 216 for nine on a pitch where 250 was needed to be competitive, Mustard did not need to be at his swashbuckling best.

The Red Rose men wilted in the warm sunshine once their opening stand of 73 was broken in the 11th over and the Durham bowlers applied some pressure.

Relegated in the championship last season, Lancashire's attack looked distinctly second rate without James Anderson and Glen Chapple, who needs his rest at the age of 39.

On a dry pitch they opted for three spinners and Durham followed suit, taking their Wearside contingent to four by bringing in 21-year-old off-spinning all-rounder Ryan Pringle.

Although he played in this competition in the home match against Hampshire at the end of last season he didn't get to bat or bowl before rain arrived.

This time he needed dark glasses in the glorious weather and unveiled an action similar to Graeme Swann's in taking one for 14 in three tidy overs. He was also sent in to bat at three after Mustard and Mark Stoneman had scorched to 71 in the seventh over.

Pringle cut the first ball he faced nicely for three then tried to run the second - the first bowled by left-arm spinner Stephen Parry - to third man and edged to the wicketkeeper.

It was Stoneman who really set Durham on their way, hitting five fours in the fourth over, bowled by ex-Leicestershire seamer Wayne White. His arrival from Grace Road is an indication that Lancashire are not having a lot of success in producing their own.

Mustard picked up the first ball of the next over, bowled by Oliver Newby, for six over mid-wicket but was generally content to play second fiddle until Stoneman departed.

He clattered four of his seven fours over the off-side field off the back foot but got a little carried away after thrashing 32 off 24 balls and bottom-edged Newby into his off stump.

It was not a happy day for Lancashire's other left-arm spinner, Simon Kerrigan, ahead of his appearance for England Lions this week. He was out-bowled by Parry, conceding 48 in eight overs, and dropped Mustard on 43 at backward point.

Paul Collingwood drove Steven Croft's off-spin over long-off for six early in his innings of 38 in a third-wicket stand of 90.

Victory was as good as in the bag when he tickled a leg-side catch to wicketkeeper Gareth Cross and Durham lost two more wickets a little carelessly.

Ben Stokes looked too anxious to finish it quickly in getting out for seven and Mustard's chance of a century vanished when his 86-ball knock ended with a clip to mid-wicket.

Dale Benkenstein and Gordon Muchall completed the formalities after Benkenstein's captaincy had done much to peg back Lancashire after the flying start they were given by Stephen Moore and South African left-hander Ashwell Prince.

When the fielding restrictions expired after eight overs they had 59 on the board and the stand was worth 73 before Prince went down the pitch to Gareth Breese and was stumped.

The innings lost its momentum as Benkenstein constantly shuffled his bowlers, switching between spin and seam.

Stokes delivered a mixed bag, gifting Lancashire four early overthrows and bowling a bouncer which ballooned over Mustard's head for four byes, but also including two maidens in taking one for 33 in eight overs.

He bowled Moore for 46 with an in-swinging yorker, while Mark Wood again impressed and moved one away from Australian left-hander Simon Katich, Lancashire's acting captain, to have him caught behind.

Croft edged Scott Borthwick to Collingwood at slip and Pringle had Karl Brown stumped for his first wicket in senior competitive cricket.

With Cumbrian youngster Jordan Clark at No 6 there was not a lot of depth to Lancashire's batting and after making 19 he swotted a catch to long-on.

That was one of three late wickets for Chris Rushworth, all taken with short balls as he generally bowled full-length in-swingers to a packed leg-side field.

Stokes had done the same and they were effective tactics in ensuring there was no late rally in the Lancashire innings. The total always looked well within Durham's compass.

SCORECARD

Lancashire v Durham

At Emirates Old Trafford.

Lancashire
S C Moore b Stokes .............................46
A G Prince st Mustard b Breese ............34
S J Croft c Collingwood b Borthwick ....13
K R Brown st Mustard b Pringle ............32
S M Katich c Mustard b Wood .............. 4
J Clark c Stokes b Rushworth ..............19
W A White c & b Rushworth .................37
G D Cross run out ................................ 1
O J Newby c Mustard b Rushworth ...... 8
S D Parry not out .................................. 4
S C Kerrigan not out ............................ 1
Extras (lb5 w4 nb8 ).................17
Total 9 wkts Innings Complete
(40 overs)...............................216
Fall: 1-73 2-83 3-115 4-134 5-138 6-180 7-
183 8-207 9-215
Bowling: Breese 8-0-39-1. Wood 7-0-36-1.
Rushworth 8-0-44-3. Stokes 8-2-33-1.
Pringle 3-0-14-1. Borthwick 6-0-45-1.
Durham
P Mustard c Croft b Kerrigan ................91
M D Stoneman b Newby ......................32
R D Pringle c Cross b Parry .................. 3
P D Collingwood c Cross b Newby .......38
D M Benkenstein not out .....................17
B A Stokes c Kerrigan b Croft ............... 7
G J Muchall not out .............................. 7
Extras (b4 lb11 w8 ).................23
Total 5 wkts (34.5 overs)........218
Fall: 1-71 2-81 3-171 4-198 5-209
Did Not Bat: G R Breese, S G Borthwick, M
A Wood, C Rushworth.
Bowling: Kerrigan 8-0-48-1. White 3-1-22-
0. Newby 5.5-0-41-2. Croft 7-0-41-1. Parry
8-0-29-1. Clark 3-0-22-0.

Durham beat Lancashire by 5 wkts