Seamers catch eye in Durham romp

Steve Harmison bowls Michael Vaughan as Durham press towards victory

Steve Harmison and Matthew Hoggard made the right impression in front of watching England selector Geoff Miller as Durham beat Yorkshire by eight wickets in LV County Championship Division One.

Their timing could not have been better, with England due to name their squad for the forthcoming Test series against South Africa on Thursday.

Harmison’s 12-over burst in the morning brought him the crucial wickets of England captain Michael Vaughan and talented youngster Adam Lyth and put Durham on the way to victory inside three days at Headingley Carnegie.

Hoggard then became the centre of attention for a while by grabbing two wickets in five balls as Durham slipped to eight for two before they were rushed to their modest 111-run target by Michael Di Venuto and Paul Collingwood, who shared an unbroken century stand.

Victory meant Durham were able to celebrate the double over Yorkshire, who started the game as Division One leaders. Both teams now stand on 77 points.

Yorkshire were 88 for two at the start of the day and still trailing by 75 runs but Vaughan and Lyth quickly extended their third-wicket stand against Harmison and Collingwood.

Left-handed Lyth hit some cracking shots through the cover region off Collingwood to complete a maiden half-century off 62 balls with nine fours.

A single off the first ball of the next over from Harmison gave Vaughan his first fifty of the season for his county. He had faced 64 deliveries and struck eight boundaries.

When Vaughan had made 59, Durham appealed confidently for a tickle to wicketkeeper Phil Mustard off Harmison, but umpire Peter Hartley did not need to give a verdict because three fielders were behind square on the leg side, Ben Harmison having strayed over the ‘line’, and a no-ball was called.

Paul Collingwood punishes a short delivery during an unbroken stand of 105 with Michael Di Venuto

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Yorkshire were making a fine recovery but when the third-wicket stand had advanced to 138 in 27 overs, Lyth, who had made 80 from 97 balls with 14 fours, helped a rising ball from Harmison into Mustard’s gloves.

Vaughan survived a definite chance on 66 when off-spinner Paul Wiseman had him put down by Callum Thorp at deep midwicket.

It did not prove to be too expensive a miss because Harmison shattered his stumps with a straight ball which kept low. He departed for 72 off 99 balls with 11 boundaries.

Harmison continued to plug away until he was replaced by Thorp, who had Andrew Gale lbw attempting a leg-side heave as Yorkshire went in to lunch on a shaky 209 for five and leading by only 46.

They subsided tamely after the interval at the hands of Thorp and Liam Plunkett with Thorp finishing with 5-71 and Mustard holding on to five catches.

It was only a belligerent late knock from Darren Gough which took the Yorkshire lead into three figures, his 34 coming off just 23 balls with six fours and a six.

Hoggard gave Yorkshire a brief ray of hope by picking up two wickets in his second over, Ben Harmison edging to Tim Bresnan at third slip and Will Smith caught behind by Gerard Brophy.

But Di Venuto and Collingwood then took full command, with Collingwood grateful of the opportunity to get into form with the bat.

Di Venuto sailed to his fifty from 62 balls with 10 fours. He finished unbeaten on 65 while Collingwood managed 44 not out off 68 balls with eight boundaries, the pair putting on an unbroken 105 to seal the success.