Oxford UCCE v Durham CCC (UNI) : Day Three

GARY Scott yesterday became the fourth player of the match to score his maiden first-class century as Durham chased a target of 328 in 62 overs to beat Oxford UCCE by four wickets.

After holing out when ten short of his century in the first innings, Scott was determined not to make the same mistake again.

He was allowed to play a perfectly-paced anchor role by the contributions of Gareth Breese, Callum Thorp and Kyle Coetzer.

After pulling his only six in the 35th over, Scott scored ten singles in the next 12 overs as Breese then Thorp cut loose to get the target down to 118 off the last 20 overs.

The 21-year-old academy product from Sunderland then clipped a sweet four through midwicket and was able to take his time through the nineties as Coetzer's orthodox strokeplay kept the board moving.

After Scott reached his century off 140 balls he survived a difficult chance on 103 with 63 needed off ten overs and was also dropped at deep mid-wicket on 127.

But when Coetzer followed up with a six over long-on to reach 50 off 52 balls the game was as good as won with the target down to 16 off three.

Scott, however, was then caught on the backward square leg boundary for 133, then with two needed off seven balls Coetzer skied a catch to the wicketkeeper, leaving Durham to scramble a leg bye, which also produced four overthrows, to win with two balls left.

To those of various hues and creeds basking in the sunshine in The Parks it would have mattered not a jot whether the students declared at lunchtime.

As they led by 311 it would have seemed the logical thing to do, but by feeding their lack of bowling and a pitch still full of runs into the brain-teasing formula they worked out that they needed to bat on briefly to ensure that Durham would have to score at above five an over.

The students added 17 in five overs, handing a fourth victim to leg-spinner Moneeb Iqbal, who bowled much better than in the first innings and finished with four for 36.

Coach Martyn Moxon said: "He dragged a few down short in the first innings and there wasn't much help for him in the pitch.

"An early wicket gave him confidence in the second innings and he bowled it a bit slower with more air. That's what we had talked about and it's nice that he could put it into practice. His performance was very encouraging."

Resuming on 106 for two in the morning, 180 ahead, the students took 11 off Mark Davies' second over, but he responded by beating the bat twice and conceding only one in his next.

First innings century-maker Luke Parker again looked a talented player, having the time to work Davies between mid-on and mid-wicket from just outside off stump.

The score had sped along to 163 for two after 42 overs when Iqbal came on and struck with his second and fifth balls.

Unlike the first innings, he settled straight on to a good length and Omar Anwar fell for 36 when a leading edge gave Iqbal a return catch for his maiden first-class wicket.

Then Josh Knappet top-edged a sweep to short fine leg to bring in Mali Richards. The son of Sir Viv was off the mark with a touch of Caribbean flourish in the four he pulled off Callum Thorp, but after making 15 he went for a big hit off Iqbal and was bowled.

Parker drove the leg-spinner over long-off for six to reach 50 off 74 balls, but on 61 he went down the pitch and with his head in the air was bowled by Breese.

Iqbal picked up his fourth wicket after lunch when Peter Young was lbw playing across the line, allowing Harry Hooper, who otherwise didn't bat or bowl in the match, to face ten balls for three not out before the declaration.

Richards opened up with three off-side wides in the first four balls in Durham's innings and there was another wide, plus four overthrows, in the first 13 runs.

Durham skipper James Lowe had made five in nine overs when he drove a four through the covers, but in the next over he was torpedoed when a ball from Richards nipped back and kept low to pin him lbw.

It was 75 for one after 19 overs when Oxford turned to the spinners and Ben Harmison appeared to play Steve Morteon into the ground before the ball lobbed up to cover.

He was given out and after his golden duck in the first innings Breese was quickly underway with a cover-driven four.

It was 95 for two at tea and after Scott reached 50 off 83 balls Breese pulled Moreton for six then drove him well beyond the rope over long-on, then Scott pulled left-armer Nick Woods' first ball for six.

Breese had made 45 off 46 balls when he went down the pitch to Michael Munday and was stumped, at which point Thorp was promoted to blast 41 off 26 balls, including three sixes.

Thorp, whose previous firstclass best was 26 for Western Australia against New South Wales in 2003, thrashed successive balls from Woods for four, four, six, six.

That prompted Oxford to turn to Parker's medium pace for the last over before the final hour and recall Richards at the other end. He promptly shot one through to bowl Thorp, but his powerful blast allowed Coetzer to show his class in a match-winning stand of 106 in 17 overs.

Scorecard

Oxford UCCE v Durham at The Parks.

Overnight: Durham 288-5 dec (B W Harmison
110, G M Scott 90). Oxford UCCE 362-4 dec
(L C Parker 140, J P T Knappett 100 no, P J
Wilshaw 60) and 106-2 (P J Wilshaw 51).
Oxford UCCE Second Innings
L C Parker b Breese 61
(missed attempted big hit)
O S Anwar c & b Iqbal 29
(leading edge)
J P Knappett c Davies b Iqbal 0
(top-edged sweep)
M A Richards b Iqbal 19
(missed attempted big hit)
P J Young lbw b Iqbal 22
(played across line)
N J Woods not out 22
J H Hooper not out 3
Extras (lb9 w1 pens 0)10
Total 7 wkts dec (61 overs) 253
Fall: 1-92 2-98 3-165 4-165 5-201 6-205 7-
243
Did Not Bat: T Kalam, M K Munday.
Turner 7-0-35-0. Thorp 12-2-47-0. Killeen 14-
2-37-0. Davies 12-2-51-1. Iqbal 10-1-36-4.
Breese 6-0-38-1.

Durham Second Innings
J A Lowe lbw b Richards 12
(kept low and nipped back)
G M Scott c Kalam b Parker 133
(pick-up to deep backward square)
B W Harmison c Woods b Moreton 12
(jabbed bat into ground, ball lobbed
to cover)
G R Breese st Knappett b Munday 45
(went down pitch, ball turned)
C D Thorp b Richards 41
(kept low)
K J Coetzer c Knappett b Richards 63
(skied attempted pull to keeper)
G T Park not out 2
M M Iqbal not out 0
Extras (b10 lb3 w7 pens 0) 20
Total 6 wkts (61.4 overs) 328
Fall: 1-50 2-81 3-164 4-211 5-317 6-326
Did Not Bat: M L Turner, N Killeen, M Davies.
Richards 14-1-62-3. Kalam 5-0-29-0. Parker
14.4-1-51-1. Young 4-0-26-0. Munday 11-1-
54-1. Moreton 9-0-50-1. Woods 4-0-43-0.

Durham beat Oxford UCCE by 4 wkts