BBC SPORT | Cricket | Counties | Durham dethrone Cup kings

C&G Trophy: Durham (232 all out) beat Gloucestershire (229-9) by three runs.
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Durham demolished Gloucestershire's remarkable cup record with a three-run win in a nail-biting finish.

Gloucestershire had won the Trophy for the last two years and had not lost a match in a one-day knockout tournament since 1998.

But an all-round display by Durham, who held their nerve at the death, ended Gloucestershire run and avenged their defeat in the B&H Cup defeat earlier in the season.

But 20-year-old spin bowler Graeme Bridge earned the man-of-the-match award with a spell of 3-44 in his 10 overs.

Bridge only learned he was replacing injury victim Nicky Hatch at 10am on Wednesday morning.

And he mad ethe most of the opportunity bt snaring Kim Barnett, Jeremy Snape and Jack Russell.

A competition-best from Durham captain Jon Lewis ensured holders Gloucestershire were set a challenging 232 to continue their defence of the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy beyond the fourth round.

Dashing start

The 31-year-old, whose previous highest score in 13 matches was 24 not out, made an unbeaten 65 in circumspect fashion, hitting just two fours in his 99-ball innings.

Youngsters Nicky Peng and Danny Law provided a dashing start, playing their shots in the early overs, the latter particularly savage on anything full.

Law eventually fell to James Averis and in the next over Peng went in Mark Alleyne's first over of the day.

Danny law
Law took crucial wickets

Australian Martin Love had looked in imperious form having hit Averis for consecutive boundaries, but he mistimed a drive to Matt Windows at cover in Mike Cawdron's first over.

Paul Collingwood continued the healthy rate of scoring in the first half of the innings with six fours in his 51-ball 38.

From 118 for four in the 24th over, Lewis and Michael Gough added 52 to consolidate the innings.

Averis knocked over the tail at the death to finish with four for 42 as Durham were dismissed for 232 in the final over.

Dominic Hewson and Kim Barnett got Gloucestershire off to a solid start with an opening stand of 66.

Matt Windows held the Gloucestershire innings together, striking three fours to score 56.

But the Durham bowlers took a stranglehold on the game as Gloucestershire lost six wickets for just 50 runs.

All-rounder Danny Law took 3-51, snaring Gloucestershire captain Mark Alleyne after he had scored just seven runs.

Gloucestershire were still in the hunt but their tail-end could not manage to squeeze out the winning runs from the last few overs.

Gloucestershire: D R Hewson, K J Barnett, M G N Windows, I J Harvey, C G Taylor, M W Alleyne (Capt), J N Snape, R C Russell (Wkt), M C J Ball, M J Cawdron, J M M Averis.

Durham: D R Law, N Peng, M L Love, P D Collingwood, J J B Lewis (Capt), M A Gough, M P Speight, A Pratt (Wkt), A M Davies, S J Harmison, G D Bridge.


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