Durham v Yorkshire: Vikings come up just short to see promising start stifled

Captain Andrew Gale top-scored for Yorkshire Vikings at the Riverside but it was in a losing cause as the visitors slipped to their first NatWest T20 Blast defeat of the campaig (Picture: Steve Riding).

ON the night when Durham’s new floodlights were turned on for the first time, Keaton Jennings lit up an eventful contest to shatter the only remaining 100 per cent winning record in the NatWest Blast T20.

The South African claimed a career best four-wicket haul to ensure Yorkshire Vikings were condemned to defeat by six runs despite some defiant strokeplay from Andrew Gale.

Yorkshire’s captain hit 41 from 34 deliveries to take his T20 runs tally to 150 from three innings this season but his efforts proved in vain thanks to some impressive bowling by Jennings.

Not only did the medium pacer claim the wickets of Glenn Maxwell and Jack Leaning at key moments, the latter after the son of former goalkeeper Andy had just smashed two huge sixes.

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But, most importantly of all, Jennings ended what had looked like being a potentially match-winning partnership between Gale and Jonny Bairstow.

The pair had put on 50 in just six overs before Bairstow was trapped lbw and, after that, the Jets always looked the most likely to prevail in front of a 5,539 crowd.

It meant a fitting start to life for the Riverside’s new additions, whose installation proved contentious to local residents despite the region now being guaranteed 2019 World Cup cricket.

More than 100 objections were made to the local Council, who as a result attached certain conditions before granting approval to the club’s plans last month.

One of these was that the lights can not be used beyond 10.30pm, something that at one stage last night looked like being tested following a heavy shower that delayed the scheduled start time by 25 minutes.

Which, with no overs being lost, meant there was a chance of play carrying on dangerously close to the cut-off time for the new lights.

Having been asked to bat after losing the toss, the Jets were clearly intent on not hanging around as Mark Stoneman and Phil Mustard made a brisk start.

Stoneman led the way initially with a couple of lusty boundaries off Tim Bresnan before being handed a lifeline when Jack Leaning was unable to take a difficult catch to his right at cover.