Durham 285 for 5 (Lees 75, Borthwick 71, Bedingham 56) beat Surrey 280 for 8 (Stoneman 117, Smith 85, Rushworth 3-49) by five wickets
Durham survived a run-laden homecoming by an old favourite, Mark Stoneman, to secure a place in the Royal London Cup final against Glamorgan on Thursday. Stoneman struck 117 on his first return to the northeast since joining Surrey five years ago, but Durham judged their demanding pursuit of 281 with aplomb, waltzing through the closing stages to win by five wickets with 15 balls to spare.
"I'm coming to get you" was the gist of the light-hearted text message that Stoneman sent to Scott Borthwick, a former colleague at both Durham and Surrey, ahead of this semi-final, but it is Borthwick whose first season back at Durham, as a captain ambitious to bring back the good times to the northeast, who retains the chance of collecting a trophy. Nevertheless, with an entire team requisitioned for other duties, Surrey have acquitted themselves well.
Stoneman, meanwhile, might well leave Surrey at the end of the season, with Middlesex among his most persuasive suitors. He does not immediately strike you as an all-format cricketer, but that ambition still endures and even though he envisaged seeing out his career at Surrey as recently as May it could tip him into moving across the river.
Durham, who have lost only once over 50-overs this season, will start favourites against Glamorgan after emerging victorious in a contest between arguably the two most powerful batting line-ups in the competition. They were rewarded for putting Surrey into bat when overcast skies roused Chris Rushworth into a new-ball spell of 3 for 23 in seven overs - Ollie Pope among them for a six-ball duck - before their in-form batters took full toll of Surrey's attack.
Graham Clark now has 598 runs at 86.57 and he made a statement from the outset when he slapped Surrey's first ball, from Matt Dunn, through extra cover for four; Alex Lees, now has 547 at 78.14, and drove vigorously for his 75. They are the top two run-makers in the competition and their confidence has spread to the entire Durham side.
David Bedingham's assertive half-century (56 from 35 balls) whistled Durham to victory, but it was Borthwick's 71 that will have warmed their supporters most of all. His ambition for his native county burns through every innings - his legspin has been taken off the shelf to good effect too - and, although he was dropped twice, most badly on 51 when Dunn was slow on to a top-edged pull at long leg, when he departed with 63 needed off 10, Durham were well in control. Three off Durham's top four fell to the pull, Borthwick the unluckiest as he middled one straight at Pope, lurking at deep square.
Pope's three-match return to Surrey in the RLC has been an unhappy one. Those calling for his return for England at Headingley to bat at no 3 clearly are determined to pay no heed of county form, which these days comes several rungs below "hitting it well in the nets". To be fair, he fell to an excellent delivery as Rushworth seamed one back to uproot his middle stump, and Surrey slipped to 40 for 3 before Stoneman and Jamie Smith repaired matters in a stand of 155 in 32.
Stoneman met Rushworth conservatively, taking only three singles off him in the 15 deliveries he faced in his opening spell. He needed no reminding that the life expectancy of a left-hander on an overcast morning in Chester-le-Street when Rushworth was on the prowl was a short one. Matt Salisbury allowed him more liberties - 34 off 24 in the same new-ball phase - loosening the stranglehold every time Rushworth tightened it.
Borthwick and Stoneman might have texted light-heartedly ahead of the tie, but there was nothing sociable about their match-up, professionalism demanded serious expressions. Borthwick was convinced he had Stoneman lbw, sweeping, as he approached his half-century, and he stared aghast, a yard or so from Stoneman, for several seconds after umpire Graham Lloyd rejected his appeal.
The stand with Smith, who provided the elegance to go with Stoneman's proficiency, was well judged, only to be outdone by Durham later in the day. Stoneman played conservatively in mid-innings against the spinners, not just Borthwick, but the slow left-armer Liam Trevaskis, who might have been put under more pressure.
His pragmatism was necessarily abandoned in Rushworth's final over, which went for 17, including a six over long-on that he would not have contemplated when the ball was harder. When Smith was lbw to Borthwick for a career-best 85, Surrey had 10 overs to add to their 195 for 4. But Rikki Clarke top-edged to fine leg and Cameron Steel's return to Durham brought only a single, forcing Stoneman to up the ante.
He reached 99 with an all-run four against Borthwick (Clarke, lungs heaving, should have been run out gallantly undertaking the fourth only for Borthwick's shy to miss the stumps), tucked away his sixth List A hundred shortly afterwards, and was run out at the start of the final over, beaten by Clark's throw, as he tried to keep the strike. The Chester-le-Street crowd gave him a standing ovation. The Durham team kept their game faces on and saved their smiles until a place at Trent Bridge was achieved.
David Hopps writes on county cricket for ESPNcricinfo @davidkhopps
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