WOW, what just happened!!!! No-one can quite believe it, we are all still on a high and it hasn't really sank in yet!!! It all started after the semi final win against Essex, after bowling them out for 71, we thought it was in the bag, we celebrated, well at least us staff did, the players, feeling the pressure managed to get half way, to 36, the bad news, we had lost 6 wickets!!!!!
Yes we won that game, and it is the most nervous i have ever seen the Riverside, and we had learnt our lessons from the day, don't get cocky! At Lord's everyone waiting for the first ball was amazed at the sheer pace Darren Powell generated whizzing that first bouncer past Diva, at that point it was anyones game!! Then the colnel got a hold of 'em, and despite losing Diva for 12, we powered into the 70's after just 15 overs, Colnel Mustard getting 49 from just 34 deliveries.
Coetzer and Shiv Chanderpaul carried on from there, both men passing 50 before eventually losing their wickets, Shiv, unluckily run out. Colly and Benks went on, with Colly looking like he was feeling the pressure, Benks pushed on, finishing with an eventual 61 not out, but the hero was Ottis Gibson, coming in right at the end and despatching Chris Tremlett over square leg for six in his first delivery.
So 316 runs, a record total in a 50 over cup final, surely we had won it, but no...we told ourselves, hold back, its not our trophy yet!! Ottis Gibson, first ball of the innings, he runs in, and as if his season could get any better he gets a wicket, first ball!! The crowd go wild, Durham supporters are chanting and singing, but not nearly as much as when he does the very same thing with the second ball of the innings, Hampshire 0-2...316 runs behind!! The time to start the party was now!!
The Durham fans were amazing, getting loader and louder with every dot ball, and when Pieterson fell early on to Gibson, the party really started. Hampshire went through the motions, with only Crawley looking like he could handle any of our bowlers, but then the rains came, with 17 overs left, the party was spoilt!!
Off went the umpires, and soon after the announcement was made, no play till tomorrow!! With Hampshire 5 wickets down, and way behind the run rate, the game was certainly ours, and for those of us not playing in the game, the party started!!! Returning to the ground early on Sunday, many of the us with terrible hangovers we waited patiently for the game to begin and when it did we were not dissapointed. The wickets fell one by one, and the rather 'unique' batting style of Darren Powell made the day even more fun, as Durham wrapped up the win.
Man of The Match Ottis D Gibson looking on proudly as skipper Dale Benkenstein lifted Durham's first piece of silverware in its short first class history, the champagne bottles were popping and the few supporters who were able to return started the party for real, and boy was it some party!!!!!
Thanks to everyone for thier support, we will have as many pictures from the winning party as possible up at some point over the weekend, we just need to round up the cameras and sort through them, thanks for reading.
DCCC