Durham Match Thread 2026

[Durhamfootman]

DWH not available, which is a big bonus for us

In all they are 4 England players short, but the same players that we face beat Yorks and Lancs pretty easily, so will still be big favourites with the players they have left

England have allowed Filer to play for us, but I'm still undecided whether that's good news or bad news. She might take wickets, but equally she might go around the park

[Durhamfootman]

The club are really winding me up over the Yorkshire game

the latest email telling me to select a seat, and there have been many, tells me I "must" select a seat

Must!

they can *modded* ssip off. I'll select a dedicated seat for international matches, because that's the deal, but county cricket? Not a *modded* chance. If they're going to make a song and dance about, I'm not going to go. As it happens, the fact that it's the annual students match puts me off going, because they are simply a *modded* nuisance. It's awful on the night they attend. Will they stop me going into the women's game that afternoon, because I haven't selected a seat? It is a double header after all.

Part of the problem is they have taken the best attended game of the season and to it have added a seat and a pint deal for the Durham Uni students, plus I believe, some sort of go to the cricket for a £1 deal. I understand both of those deals, but I fail to understand why you do that for the best attended match of the season and ssip off all the members

It doesn't seem to occur to them that members can go to any home game they like, any time they like when there's a Durham game on. If you can't do that, then what is the point of being a member? I wonder when the next members meeting is?

*modded* "must"!

[Durhamfootman]

oh crumbs

36-1 off 4 has become 88-6 off 14

MacDonald-Gay doing all the damage

[Durhamfootman]

jeez

I refuse to believe that any bowler bowls so well that they take 6-11 off 4 overs without a whole load of help from the batters

each wicket she took in an over was followed by a first baller

[Durhamfootman]

It's clearly a tricky pitch, because we have them 68-5. It's too late, but it suggests what could have been had we not lost wickets 2 at a time

[Durhamfootman]

68-5 becomes 86-7

MacDonald-Gay is at the crease. It feels like it's her day

edit: out for 4

95-8

[Durhamfootman]

we've only bowled 4 bowlers and in 2 balls time all of them will have bowled out

We haven't bowled Villiers at all

[Durhamfootman]

we've had to and her first 2 balls have gone for 6 and the scores are tied

nowt like being thrown the ball cold and getting told to take 2 wickets for nothing straight away. Very much a lose/lose scenario

and unsurprisingly we lose

I suppose we figured we'd have to do it with 4 bowlers or lose, so we stuck with them, but it doesn't look like a very sensible strategy when they're all bowled out with Surrey 8 down and still a few runs to get

Close though

[Durhamfootman]

A few runs more from the 3 first ballers and a few less than the 14 wides we bowled and who knows

there were 5 wides bowled, 3 from Filer, so clearly 3 of the 5 went all the way to the boundary. Not ideal in a tight, tight game

[captaincolly]

Yes, got a lot closer than I thought it would after our innings.

[Durhamfootman]

Trudy Johnson impressed again with the ball

I watched the highlights and there was a lot of swing going on. Filer in particular.

Our batters hit some good shots, but those 2 in 2's cost us dearly. Graham, Thompson and Johnson all got out to the yorker. Had we batted for the extra 3 overs that we wasted, another 20 runs might have given us a different result

Villiers and Turner were both out to brilliant catches at backward point by the OS Laura Harris (sister of Grace)

[captaincolly]

Women's game this afternoon could have a good finish. Warwickshire 66/4 and need 75 from the last 10 overs. Don't know what batting depth they have.
Heading down shortly for the evening game.

[Durhamfootman]

yes, a good win in the end, given that we didn't bat particularly well, didn't field especially well and managed to bowl a load of wides again

I watched it on the feed and it was interesting to hear Groundskeeper Vic say that our pitches are ideal for pace off bowlers and in particular for Ben Raine. I always think that in T20, tbh. Trying to bowl fast just seems like madness to me after years of watching sides (usually us) getting bogged down when there is no pace to work with

He also mentioned Pottsy last week, putting everything he had into that first over and getting flogged for plenty, then slowing everything down later and walking away with 3 wickets. Blindingly obvious, if you ask me

[Durhamfootman]

Jeez.... what a *modded* up that was. Where did that come from?

I'm pleased I didn't go.... can't blame me

back to the bad old days of 2 wins and a clusterf*ck?

[Durhamfootman]

Turns out we can't play spin..... who knew?

Yorks turned up with a battery of spinners and medium pacers. Looks like they did their homework and we assumed we could batter our way out of any situation

Pace off the ball

not rocket science

Sowter went around the park again.... completely different to the last couple of years