Northamptonshire v Durham (Friends Provident Trophy)

PHIL Mustard's maiden one-day century and an unbeaten 97 by skipper Dale Benkenstein steered Durham to a sensational Friends Provident Trophy win at Northampton yesterday.

But it was Ottis Gibson who hit the winning boundary off the last ball to clinch the four-wicket victory, Durham's third win from four in the 50-over competition.

Their hopes of reaching their first semi-final looked to have been severely dented by two South African team-mates when Mustard was joined by Benkenstein with Durham rocking on 25 for three in reply to 251 for six.

Opener Davey Jacobs provided a solid platform with 69 then his fellow Eagles player Johan van der Wath opened up with a spell of three for 18.

But Mustard and Benkenstein dug in, then steadily accelerated and after completing an 86-ball half-century Mustard needed only 30 more balls to sweep to his hundred, which included ten fours and six.

At that stage they had the target down to 65 off the last ten overs but van der Wath returned and had Mustard caught at midwicket for 108 to end the stand of 163.

Garry Park was run out for a duck, but Gareth Breese contributed 12 before being bowled attempting to sweep Steven Crook with 23 needed from 15 balls.

The target came down to nine off the last over and Benkenstein hit van der Wath for four off the first ball then Gibson survived a run-out attempt before his moment of glory.

Mustard's previous highest one-day score was the 84 he made when promoted to open in the final Pro40 League match of last season at home to Essex.

Benkenstein was unbeaten in the 90s for the second successive day, but the win was a triumph of his determination not to be upstaged by his fellow countrymen.

Jacobs is a temporary replacement for Australian Chris Rogers, who has broken a thumb, and he put on 109 for Northants' first wicket with Usman Afzaal after David Sales won the toss.

They took 30 overs to compile their partnership, but the value of a firm base was underlined as van der Wath removed Michael Di Venuto with the third ball of Durham's reply, followed by Will Smith and Kyle Coetzer in the eighth over.

Coetzer went second ball as all van der Wath's victims fell to edged catches.

The battle of South Africans continued as former Test all-rounder Lance Klusener kept Benkenstein quiet as the captain's need to rebuild saw him take seven overs to get off the mark.

Klusener's first seven overs cost only 13 runs, but eight came off the next as the fourth-wicket pair began to throw off the shackles.

They reached 100 in the 30th over then took 84 off the next ten, taking advantage of Northants' decision to blood 20-year-old left-arm spinner Graeme White.

Earlier Durham kept a tight rein on the home openers and Benkenstein must have wished he hadn't bowled Afzaal for 49 when Sales emerged and quickly changed the game.

Sales took 17 off the 36th over, bowled by Breese, leaving the off-spinner with none for 39 in five overs, on his way to a rapid half-century.

Benkenstein had to recall Graham Onions, who conceded only ten runs in his opening six-over spell, and although he bowled Sales for 53, made off 52 balls, the floodgates were open.

Benkenstein gambled by keeping himself on, only for his last two overs to go for 19 runs, and Durham did well to restrict Northants to 61 off the last nine overs.

Onions removed Jacobs to finish with the very creditable figures of two for 35.

SCORECARD

Northamptonshire v Durham at Northampton.

Northamptonshire Innings
D J Jacobs c Davies b Onions 69
U Afzaal b Benkenstein 49
D J Sales b Onions 53
M A Nelson c K J Coetzer b Gibson 26
J J van der Wath b Gibson 5
M H Wessels not out 18
L Klusener run out 14
Extras (lb6 w11 pens 0) 17
Total 6 wkts Innings Complete
(50 overs) 251
Fall: 1-109 2-166 3-200 4-211 5-228 6-251
Did Not Bat: S P Crook, P S Coverdale, G G
White, J F Brown.
Bowling: Onions 10-0-35-2. Killeen 10-0-40-0.
Gibson 10-1-48-2. Davies 6-0-33-0. Benkenstein
9-0-50-1. Breese 5-0-39-0.

Durham Innings
M J Di Venuto c Sales b van der Wath 0
P Mustard c G G White b van der Wath 108
W R Smith c Sales b van der Wath 12
K J Coetzer c Wessels b van der Wath 0
D M Benkenstein not out 97
G T Park run out 0
G R Breese b S P Crook 12
O D Gibson not out 10
Extras (lb3 w10 pens 0) 13
Total 6 wkts (50 overs) 252
Fall: 1-0 2-25 3-25 4-188 5-189 6-229
Did Not Bat: M Davies, G Onions, N Killeen.
Bowling: van der Wath 10-1-40-4. Klusener 10-
0-41-0. S P Crook 10-0-52-1. Coverdale 3-0-21-
0. Brown 10-0-48-0. G G White 7-0-47-0.
Durham beat Northamptonshire by 4 wkts