Posted by Tony Hutton
Like John Winn and Brian Sanderson I too have been looking back at memorable games from the archives. Purely by chance the other day I came across a game I saw at Old Trafford in 1993 and had completely forgotten about. This was Durham's second season as a first class county with a large collection of somewhat senior players recruited from other counties, together with one or two young hopefuls.
I was there on the first day Thursday 6th May when Durham won the toss and batted against a strong looking Lancashire side captained by Neil Fairbrother and including the likes of Mike Atherton, Mike Watkinson, Phil De Freitas, Warren Hegg and Glenn Chapple. Durham's opening pair were former Lancashire man Graham Fowler, making his first appearance for the county, and veteran Wayne Larkins recruited from Northants. This experienced pair batted with unusual caution on the first morning and were not parted until well after lunch when the score had reached 143 with Fowler out for a patient 49.
Paul Parker the former Sussex player joined Larkins and he too got his head down obviously intent on playing a long innings. When I had seen Parker play before he had been much more adventurous with both Combined Universities, who famously beat Yorkshire at Barnsley in the Benson & Hedges, and Sussex. However he was possibly better known for his outstanding fielding in the covers. Larkins was out soon afterwards for a valuable 76 which had taken not far short of three hours, but he did manage to hit one six.
Parker was then joined by Phil Bainbridge, from Gloucestershire, a perhaps under rated all rounder. He batted through the rest of the day when Durham finished with a creditable score of 330-2, Parker 85 and Bainbridge 79. A pleasing day's cricket for Durham supporters but much more excitement was to come over the remaining days of the match.
On day two Durham compiled what was then their highest score in county cricket making 515-9 declared. It was always hard graft and the run rate never got over three runs per over against some good accurate bowling particularly from Peter Martin and Glenn Chapple, while Mike Watkinson toiled for forty overs to end with 3-125. The hero of the day was Paul Parker with an innings of 123, despite losing Bainbridge without adding to his overnight score. Young hopeful Jimmy Daley played a fine innings of exactly 50 before Ian Botham and Nigel Briers both fell cheaply. However the tail enders Scott, Wood and Graveney all got useful twenties to reach the magic five hundred.
When Lancashire batted they too had to graft for runs and of course had just the man in Mike Atherton, who made 137 in six and a half hours. John Wood the opening bowler had the best figures of 4-106 and skipper David Graveney matched Watkinson's marathon effort with figures of 42-7-131-4. Lancashire, after a last wicket stand of 82, reached a total of 442 all out on day three when the game looked to be heading for a draw.
However the match was turned on it's head on day four when Durham collapsed from 34-0 overnight to 83 all out. Fowler and Larkins were the only batsman to reach double figures and the damage was done by slow left armer Alex Barnett with career best figures of 5-36 and Mike Watkinson with an even better 5-12. Again no contribution from Ian Botham and it seemed that his career was coming to an end. Lancashire then made short work of knocking off the 157 runs required for victory, with 47 from Graham Lloyd and skipper Fairbrother 36 not out in partnership with the likely man of the match Mike Watkinson 30 not out.
It must certainly be a rare event for a side to score over 500 in the first innings and then to go on and lose the match by six wickets.
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