FRIENDS PROVIDENT TROPHY, GROUP C, Bristol
Gloucestershire 301-8 dec (2pts) beat Durham (153) by 148 runs

Rejuvenated Gloucestershire made it maximum points with four wins from four FP Trophy games thanks to their 148-run thrashing of Durham at Nevil Road.

Durham had no answer to a massive Gloucester total of 301-8, sculpted by Chris Taylor (71), William Porterfield (68) and Hamish Marshall (56).

After slumping to 56-6, Durham eventually struggled to 153 all out.

And that sealed Gloucestershire's biggest one-day victory over the county champions Durham in 14 years.

Perhaps Durham were feeling the effects of a long trip from Hove the previous evening after their drawn Championship game with Sussex.

Through some crazy scheduling, they faced the same journey back after this match to take on Sussex again in the Friends Provident Trophy tomorrow.

But it could actually have been worse for the visitors.

Opener Michael Di Venuto was dropped three times and should have been run out before being dismissed for only 17.

And there were certainly signs of fatigue in some of the shots that brought wickets.

Only Ian Blackwell of the top six batsmen managed to get to 20 and he fell for 23, stumped off a Chris Taylor wide.

It was left to Gareth Breese, who battled away for 85 balls to make 43, to ensure his team reached a respectable total.

The Gloucestershire total was built on a sparkling second-wicket stand of 116 in 16 overs between Porterfield and Marshall.

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