Notts rue feat of Claydon

Mitch Claydon's five-wicket haul - only the second for Durham in the Twenty20 Cup - helped secure an eight-run victory

For the second time in a week Durham seamer Mitch Claydon dashed Nottinghamshire's hopes in a tight finish.

In the opening Twenty20 Cup tie at Trent Bridge he hit the winning runs off the last ball. This time he had to bowl the last over at Riverside with Nottinghamshire needing 10 runs with two wickets remaining.

With his second ball he rattled Luke Fletcher's off stump, and after Darren Pattison took a single, Mark Ealham was bowled making room to hit over cover.

Durham won by eight runs and Claydon finished with 5-26, only the second five-wicket haul for Durham in the competition's six-year history.

He barely featured in his first two seasons with the club and said: "It's great just to be getting a game. All I’ve wanted for two years is the opportunity, but it's been a tough side to get into.

"I used to try to bowl at 100mph, but you can't do that day in, day out, so I've worked hard on my control."

Needing 178, Nottinghamshire were 132 for seven in the 17th over when Andre Adams joined Ealham and thrashed 20 off eight balls.

With 21 coming off the 18th over, bowled by Gareth Breese, the visitors needed 20 off two overs. But after hitting Neil Killeen for his second six, Adams drove a full toss to long-on, where Will Smith held an excellent catch above his head.

Smith had also run in from the same position to hold a steepler when Claydon came back for the 16th over and Adam Voges, on 33, rashly slogged at the first ball.

Voges had looked capable of seeing the side home after acting as the sleeping partner during a fifth-wicket stand of 60 with Will Jefferson.

After scoring 75 when the sides met at Trent Bridge, Jefferson was off the mark first ball with a hooked six off Graham Onions, and scored the first 30 runs in the partnership. He had made 42, off just 24 balls, when he was caught at deep midwicket off Ben Harmison.

Michael Di Venuto made his best Twenty20 score for Durham by hitting 55, but the real fireworks for the 5,000 crowd came from Dale Benkenstein, who went to the crease in the 15th over and smashed an unbeaten 48, which included five sixes.

By taking 58 off the last four overs, Durham reached 177 for four, only six short of their highest Twenty20 total.