County claim Durham draw (From Worcester News)

County claim Durham draw

6:30pm Sunday 27th September 2009 in

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WORCESTERSHIRE brought the curtain down on their dismal County Championship season with a creditable draw against Division One champions Durham.

Whether the New Road side would have avoided defeat if Durham had bothered to play this game with the same intensity they have done in the rest, it will never be known.

But the record books won’t show the champions spent much of the week celebrating their second successive title in Worcester’s hostelries, it will just say the worst Worcestershire side in 81 years held the undefeated Durham.

Having to score 278 to make the north-east county bat again, Worcestershire went one better — they saw out the day.

Resuming the final day on 41-1, they had lost opener Stephen Moore at the end of Friday’s play, Daryl Mitchell quickly fell in the fourth over on Saturday for just 26 when he played a half-hearted drive at Liam Plunkett and was caught behind by Phil Mustard.

Skipper Vikram Solanki went on to pass his 1,000 runs for the season before he was bowled by Plunkett and Moeen Ali, who was dropped by Steve Harmison on eight in the gully, was trapped leg before by the same player. Alexei Kervezee played an effortless knock as he and the departing Steve Davies saw Worcestershire through to lunch.

The Dutch international, however, went shortly after the break when he edged Mitchell Claydon behind to Mustard two shy of his 50.

Davies then played out a wonderful swansong and knows he should have gone on to hit his century.

The Surrey-bound wicketkeeper reached his 50 in just 49 balls, hitting nine fours and one six, and then he cut loose.

He simply destroyed Ian Blackwell and put on a century stand with Dave Wheeldon in less than 13 overs.

Even when Plunkett returned to the attack, Davies wasted little time in dispatching him to all parts of the ground.

He had a rush of blood to the head and got a top-edge pull to substitute fielder Scott Borthwick for 97 but more importantly Worcestershire were nine runs ahead. Davies’ fine innings came off just 75 balls, smashing 16 fours and three sixes.

Wheeldon then edged Blackwell to Michael Di Venuto at first slip for 30 before Gareth Andrew and Richard Jones saw Worcestershire home.

Andrew secured his second half-century of the match with an unbeaten 59, while Jones scored a maiden 50 as the County closed on 410-7.