Foxes finish third but bow out of Twenty20 Cup

Leicestershire Foxes (0 pts) 133-8 (Dippenaar 63, Claydon 3-14, B.Harmison 3-28) lost to Durham Dynamos (2 pts) 137-4 (Warner 44, Benkenstein 33*, Henderson 3-32) by six wickets.

Durham Dynamos turned in a clinical display to triumph in the Twenty20 Northern section winner-takes-all battle with Leicestershire Foxes at Grace Road.

The visitors restricted the Foxes to 133-8 from their allocation, as only Boeta Dippenaar (63 off 48 balls) passed a score of 20 for the side.

Mitchell Claydon and Ben Harmison each took three wickets for Durham, and the total never looked like being enough once Australian David Warner trailblazed at the start of the reply.

Dynamos then chased down their target comfortably with 22 balls to spare after Warner (44 off 18 balls) scored five fours and three sixes in his whirlwind knock.

All was not lost for the Foxes. Despite missing out on a quarter-final berth, the side finished in third position after both Notts and Yorkshire lost.

That was not enough to get through as one of the best third-place finishers which was extremely disappointing, but it did ensure the team will play in division one of the newly-former P20 competition next summer.

A muggy afternoon started well for the Foxes as Dippenaar won the toss and elected to bat in front of a sizeable crowd.

The Dynamos had clearly planned carefully for the occasion, as the bowlers were rotated after every over for the first sixteen of the innings and fielders were placed thoughtfully.

Neil Killeen and Claydon took the new ball and kept batsmen Matthew Boyce and Jim Allenby to just five runs from the opening two overs.

Allenby found the boundary twice in Liam Plunkett’s opener, but Durham struck two crucial blows in the fourth and fifth overs.

Firstly, Ben Harmison removed Allenby with a slower ball after the batsman had just struck a huge six over midwicket.

The batsman didn’t get over a cover drive and Dale Benkenstein took a simple catch to put Durham on the board.

Killeen then produced a beauty that nipped back and touched the top of Jacques du Toit’s off stump in the fifth, and the Foxes were 32-2 after five.

Losing early wickets is never ideal and the loss of both of County’s power-hitters badly affected momentum.

Boyce was struggling to hit his straps in the face of some accurate bowling and with Dippenaar new to the crease, the innings was now about consolidation rather than acceleration.

Boyce tried to break the shackles but was unsuccessful, finding visiting captain Will Smith at long-on to give Harmison another wicket in the eleventh over.

Dippenaar did the bulk of the scoring in the innings and found the boundary for the second time in the next with a super cover drive.

Paul Nixon reverse-swept Ian Blackwell for four in the 13th, and Dippenaar lofted Gareth Breese for six over straight mid-wicket in the next.

The duo were just gaining impetus with their 31-run stand but Harmison struck again in the 15th to have the ‘keeper caught at cover by Gareth Breese. That left the score on 93-4 after fifteen and the innings needed a boost.

Dippenaar provided that in the next, as fifteen runs were taken from Plunkett’s last over.

The batsman pulled a beamer to the boundary and also cut the next ball for four, so a score of 150 may well have re-entered County’s thoughts.

However, Killeen and Claydon returned to end hopes of that, despite Dippenaar bringing up a 40-ball half-century.

Only 25 runs were added in the final four overs, with the bowlers sending down two-over stints for the first time in the entire innings.

Claydon struck three times in his final two overs by removing James Taylor, Wayne White and Claude Henderson.

Killeen also had Dippenaar caught behind during that time, which ended a fine knock from the skipper that included seven fours and a maximum.

The duo conceded just 38 runs between them with the impressive Claydon going for just 14 from his allocation.

When you consider they bowled six of their overs at the beginning and end, it shows how disciplined they were.

So, although the Foxes had a below-par total, you had to give credit to the visiting attack, who gave very little away.

Every opportunity was grasped and it meant the Foxes were now going to have to produce something special with the ball.

The bowlers simply weren’t allowed to settle though. Warner was in stunning form, striking the ball hard both straight and through the leg-side in particular, and opening partner Phil Mustard wasn’t hanging about either.

A strong powerplay period was needed for County, but it never materialised. Durham raced to 60 in that passage of play to break the back of the chase and a target of 74 from 14 overs was now left.

However, County, no doubt buoyed by their unlikely win against Yorkshire on Friday, did not give up.

Henderson (3-32 off four) was always going to be a key bowler and entered the attack to great effect by taking three wickets in his opening two overs.

It was a great comeback from the spinner, as Warner had smashed two sixes over long-on before being caught by Iain O’Brien at deep mid-wicket to end his 18-ball stay.

The slow left-armer then trapped Mustard (27 off 25 balls with five fours) and Kyle Coetzer leg-before to put the score on 81-3 after nine.

The Foxes and crowd were on a high following Henderson’s heroics and the question was now whether another victory could be plucked from the jaws of defeat.

There was simply too much to do this time. The rate was well under a run-a-ball and Durham’s specialist finisher Benkenstein was at the crease alongside Blackwell.

Both played sensibly in getting Durham towards their target, although White removed the left-hander towards the end of the innings courtesy of a stunning du Toit catch at mid-on.

Benkenstein had the final say, stroking his fourth four to wrap up the six-wicket win and seal a quarter-final place for his side. The batsman also hit a six in an unbeaten 33 from 27 balls.

It was a well-deserved win after a professional performance, and although the Foxes will have been disappointed with their display, you have to take your hats off to Durham for a nerveless show in a high-pressure situation.