SCOTLAND slumped to the fifth defeat of a demanding Friends Provident Trophy campaign last night as another top-order collapse proved their undoing against Durham at the Riverside yesterday.
Chasing the county's 230-6, the Saltires found themselves hopelessly adrift on 51-5 before Neil McCallum's spirited half-century delayed the inevitable and reduced the losing margin to a more respectable 38 runs.
Further tinkering with the order s
aw Gavin Hamilton stride to the crease to open the batting with skipper Ryan Watson.
Hamilton was in attacking mode from the off but, having been dropped twice in one over, it was third time unlucky when he drove at a Calum Thorp delivery and was this time safely taken by wicketkeeper Phil Mustard.
Ed Cowan, a century hero for Uddingston twenty-four hours earlier, was then brought crashing back to earth when he fell for a duck.
Already Scotland's prospects were looking as gloomy as the gathering clouds and they did not improve when the Harmison brothers – Ben and Steve – joined the county attack to effectively kill off any hopes of a shock.
Colin Smith was caught behind off Ben before Fraser Watts gloved a fast delivery from Steve to find himself also pouched by Mustard. But the biggest blow of the lot was struck by the less illustrious Harmison who had Watson caught on the deep mid-wicket boundary.
The Scottish captain had struck four boundaries on his way to an untroubled 26 but his departure left the innings in ruins on 51-5.
To their enormous credit McCallum and youngster Richie Berrington proceeded to salvage pride in a gutsy stand of 76. Berrington, making only his fourth senior appearance for Scotland, cleverly found the gaps and ran well between the wickets in a nicely compiled 29 before he unluckily chopped a Steve Harmison delivery onto his stumps.
McCallum top-scored with 60, including eight boundaries and a beautifully timed clearance, but his departure, bowled by Steve Harmison, left the tail with too much to do despite the formidable efforts of Dewald Nel and Glenn Rogers.
By the time Berrington was introduced to the attack John Blain and Nel had given their side an encouraging start with a wicket apiece.
At 29-2, Durham's innings needed careful rebuilding and the job was done in a stand of 75 between Mustard and Neil McKenzie.
Mustard moved to a painstaking half-century with successive reverse sweeps off Rogers but, having moved to 57, he was brilliantly run out by MacLeod's direct hit.
McKenzie top-scored with 68, despite being cut-short by Blain, while skipper Dale Benkenstein was looking dangerous on a rapid 31 when he was completely deceived by a Rogers ball which turned sharply and took out middle stump.
Once again the Saltires had bowled and fielded creditably but, again, in vain.
The full article contains 480 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
