Durham’s Victory over Kent in Thrilling Metro Bank Cup 2024 to Keep Knockout Hopes Alive
Durham’s hopes of making it to the Metro Bank Cup knockout stages are still alive following their thrilling seven-run victory over Kent Spitfires on Sunday in Canterbury.
Even with a heroic century from Harry Finch, Kent was eliminated from the competition.
In a thrilling match at Canterbury on Sunday, Durham stunned the Kent Spitfires by winning by a margin of seven runs in the Metro Bank Cup. Following Harry Finch’s majestic 104, Kent appeared to be coasting to victory, but the Spitfires faltered from 223 for 3 to 300 for 9, with George Drissell getting 4 for 38.
After hitting 91 balls with six sixes and thirteen fours, Finch and Jack Leaning put up 183 for the third wicket. However, Kent lost six wickets for 71 runs in the next over, allowing Colin Ackermann to successfully defend 17 off the last over.
Earlier, Durham was dismissed for 307 from precisely 50 overs after Ben McKinney scored an incredible century. McKinney scored 115 runs off of 116 balls, with 13 fours and three sixes. The next-highest scorer, Bas de Leede, had 47.
Of Kent’s nine bowlers, Jaydn Denly had the best stats with three for fifteen, while Marcus O’Riordan had three for thirty-six. Although Kent is out, the outcome keeps Durham in the running for the knockout stages.
In front of 2,487 spectators at The Spitfire Ground on a sub-tropical day, Durham won the toss and elected to bowl. After Michael Jones was bowled middle stump by Beyers Swanepoel for 12, McKinney and Alex Lees answered with an 87-run stand, which came to an end when the latter was leg before wicket by Charlie Stobo for 35.
With his second ball, Matt Parkinson got rid of Ackermann, who was caught by Jack Leaning for seven. However, McKinney played with grace and savagery, giving only sporadic half-chances. In order to reach three figures, he sent Marcus O’Riordan through midwicket and then swatted Parkinson for a six that landed in the Old Dover Road gardens.
When Stobo caught him attempting to reverse sweep O’Riordan, he eventually went as O’Riordan took two wickets in four balls in the 40th over. He got Neil Wagner caught by Joey Evison for one at mid-off after trapping Scott Borthwick leg before wicket for thirty-five.
Haydon Mustard and De Leede regained control fast. Mustard was on eight when he skied O’Riordan, but Parkinson’s next over, the 45th, went for 19 when a dazzled Grant Stewart failed to identify a ball that landed a foot in front of him.
When Mustard was lbw to Jaydn, he had made 35. When De Leede was on forty-five, Denly and Stewart then threw down a caught and bowled chance, and Joey Evison caught him on the boundary. On the last ball of the innings, Denly had Johnny Bushnell caught by Swanepoel after bowling George Drissell for six.
Although Evison hit Wagner for three consecutive fours, he departed for 28, caught behind off de Leede, before Finch and Leaning answered with what appeared to be a match-turning combination. Wagner struck early, getting O’Riordan caught behind for 11. Finch blasted Borthwick back over his head for his first six to reach his century, but when he cut Wagner to Ackermann, he was four runs short of his best List A score.
Nerves kicked in when Drissell bowled Leaning and then had Grant Stewart leg before wicket three times, and Swanepoel was leg before wicket to Ackermann. Denly skied the next ball from Ackermann, and even though Jones made an easy catch, Denly was leg before wicket on Ackermann’s next delivery.
After Parkinson hit Drissell to Jones, the run rate skyrocketed, requiring Kent to score 17 runs in Ackermann’s last over. Bushnell run out Stobo off the third, chasing a second, while the first was a dot. Stobo scrambled two off the second. Kent’s demise was assured when Garrett could only manage to hit two of the next two balls.
