Durham's next generation.

 Posted by Tony Hutton

After our relaxing day at Cleethorpes it was off further north yet again, avoiding the crowded atmosphere of Scarborough for the more enjoyable delights of Durham county cricket club at the Riverside. It may recently have become the 'Seat Unique Riverside' but to us simple folk it will remain just the Riverside. We saw the first two days of the championship game with Derbyshire in a game which promised a great future for some of the next generation of local cricketers.

Riverside, Chester-le-Street.

Durham second eleven had the better of a game with Lancashire at Crosby last week and despite an innings of 187 from twenty year old Jonathan Bushnell, who has already done well in the first team, there was no place for him in today's side. However two other youngsters,  products of the Durham Academy, in Tomas Mackintosh and Stan McAlindon, both only eighteen, were given their first team debut. 

Tom Mackintosh (Durham)

Mackintosh, a batsman/wicketkeeper, although born in Madrid, was brought up in Edinburgh and has played junior cricket in Scotland before joining the Durham Academy. He made a second eleven century against Kent last season and looks the real deal as a potential successor to Ned Eckersley behind the stumps for Durham. Stan McAlindon is an opening bowler from Carlisle, as is Liam Trevaskis, continuing the Cumbrian connection started by Ben Stokes.

Stan McAlindon (Durham)

The match began on Chris Rushworth's 36th birthday. Durham's all time record wicket taker has not been having the best of seasons so far, but day one was the day it all came right again. In his first spell he dismissed both Derbyshire openers, Reece and Godleman, caught behind by Mackintosh, then returning later  to clean bowl Guest and new Australian recruit Cartwright first ball. Derbyshire were then in trouble at 85-5 but South African Leus Du Plooy and the much improved Anuj Dal swung the game back in their favour with a partnership of 166 for the sixth wicket. Du Plooy batted through to the end of the innings finishing on 122, but Dal was out just ten runs short of the three figure mark.

Leus Du Plooy (Derbyshire)

Rushworth came back not only to break the partnership by having Dal caught behind, but then dismissed Thomson first ball in the same fashion. He had then taken two wickets with the last two balls of an over twice, but each time just missed out on a hat-trick. However next man Aitchison was soon clean bowled and just before the end of the day Stan McAlindon got in on the act by dismissing the last two batsmen. Rushworth finished with the remarkable figures of 21-6-44-7. Derbyshire all out for 283.

Chris Rushworth (Durham)

Durham took the unusual step of opening with a night watchman, Salisbury, to accompany Lees for the one over bowled before the close. Both went early on the second day and Durham were soon in the same trouble as their opponents at 38-4. The two overseas players Maddinson and Bedingham improved the position slightly, but then the wickets began to fall quickly again and Durham were really struggling on 209-8 despite 45 from Bedingham and 36 from Raine. However the two young men then came to the fore.

Mackintosh, looking confident from the start, stayed in for two hours, scoring a maiden fifty in the process and then McAlindon, after a slow start played second fiddle in a last wicket stand with Rushworth which put on a further 51 runs and took Durham into the lead. They were all out for 296, McAlindon 26 not out and number 11 Rushworth a remarkable 33 to add to his bowling triumph.

Rushworth and Mackintosh had not finished. The young wicketkeeper hanging on to two more catches as the great man saw off Godleman and night watchman Conners to leave Derbyshire on 19-2 at the close of day two.

After our departure the game swung back Derbyshire's way on day three following another big partnership. This time between Brooke Guest (116) and Du Plooy, with a second century of the match (134), putting on 248 for the fifth wicket. This was followed by a brisk 71 from Cartwright before Derbyshire declared on 398-8 setting Durham an unlikely last day target of 386. They started briskly with Lees and Jones, but after that the innings declined and it was left to Trevaskis, with a backs to the wall innings, making 19 not out in two and a half hours to secure the draw.

The two youngsters also had a say towards the end with Mackintosh making 28 and McAlindon there with Trevaskis when the game finished on 18 not out. Much more to come from these two I am sure.