Durham Match Thread 2026

[captaincolly]

2 wickets is a decent start but light is bad and it's raining so I suspect that's it for the day. Kent don't look like winning their game.

[Durhamfootman]

Indeed

Victory in this match means we are definitely promoted

given the unlikeliness of a Kent victory, I think there's a fair chance we will be div 2 champions with 2 games to spare.... if my calculations are correct, of course. We are 40 points ahead of Kent, so if we win tomorrow (we both picked up 3 bonus points) and they draw we will be 48 points clear of them with 48 points up for grabs, so we couldn't be overtaken

[captaincolly]

I think so. I'm usually nervous about these things - do we think Middlesex getting the runs is out of the question. Realistically it surely is but I think I'm still fretting over the implosion last year!

[Durhamfootman]

I'd be feeling happier if Pottsy was playing, because I never trust Carse (my bad) and BR is as rusty as hell after his 7 or 8 week lay off (not bowling a single delivery in the centiball followed by paternity leave). Aldridge has done okay this year, but can be a little loose, Rhodes is very much a rest and rotate bowler and there didn't look like much turn there for a spinner.

I doubt we'll knock them over quickly, like we did Northants, but a 400+ target ought to be far too many for them. Batting looked tricky at times this morning

[captaincolly]

Yes, think conditions might be better tomorrow. Just need to avoid making silly mistakes in the field and we should be ok.

[captaincolly]

I think my only slight concern is that there's no pressure on Middlesex - a draw isn't going to mean anything for them so they might as well just play aggressively. If thsy do it probably will probably mean they lose- but there's always a chance that it might just work. It almost certainly won't but you never know.

[Durhamfootman]

worked for us v Northants at home. Did all the damage in the last hour

[Durhamfootman]

mind you, that was Bedders at the peak of his powers. That would be hard to copy

[Durhamfootman]

I'm starting to worry about Robbo. He's in the top 3 for dismissals across county cricket, but he's only scored something like 350 runs all season in the CC. There was a time when that figure was in the high hundreds. There's an article in the cricketer about the merry go round of keepers at the end of the season. Should we be looking at the keepers who are looking likely to move? I thought we'd struck gold when he first arrived, but that feels like a very long time ago now.

Clarky is down in that 350 run groove too. Not great figures for div 2, how will the two of them cope in div 1? Both have fewer runs from several more innings than Ben Raine batting at 9 or 10

[Durhamfootman]

going to plan so far

7 down..... still need far too many

Parky twirling his way through the middle order. This is why we should always play a full time spinner.... bleeding obvious, but something we forgot last year

[Durhamfootman]

Middlesex hanging on. 8 down, need 160, irritating 9th wicket partnership..... naturally!

[Durhamfootman]

93 run win

Middlesex put up a fight, but in the end we didn't need the new ball. I was beginning to think that we would as that 9th wicket partnership grew

[Durhamfootman]

and we are champions. I was pretty confident we would be

we've sent in a request to the ECB to have the trophy sent up for next week's final home game of the season

[Durhamfootman]

well worth watching Parky's wicket celebrations today. He was off like Imran Tahir

the one that bowled Zafar was a beauty.... turned a country mile

Campo was on comms in the highlights and although only bits of what he was saying were there, I'm pretty sure he was talking about Stokes when said that he wants to play next year and he expects an agreement to be reached sooner rather than later.

[captaincolly]

I'm starting to worry about Robbo. He's in the top 3 for dismissals across county cricket, but he's only scored something like 350 runs all season in the CC. There was a time when that figure was in the high hundreds. There's an article in the cricketer about the merry go round of keepers at the end of the season. Should we be looking at the keepers who are looking likely to move? I thought we'd struck gold when he first arrived, but that feels like a very long time ago now.

Clarky is down in that 350 run groove too. Not great figures for div 2, how will the two of them cope in div 1? Both have fewer runs from several more innings than Ben Raine batting at 9 or 10

Yes, the batting has been disappointing apart from Bedingham and McKinney- and he is still very inconsistent. Robinson has just struggled so much for 3 and a half seasons, don't know what's gone wrong. I think we definitely need to strengthen that batting for next season- Harry Duke?