Alex Lees, David Bedingham tons lead Durham to crushing 132-run win over Sussex

Durham 427 for 9 (Lees 144, Bedingham 102, Clark 72) beat Sussex 295 (Haines 65, Hudson-Prentice 65, Trevaskis 3-38) by 132 runs

-sized crowd of greater than 2,000 noticed Durham captain and former England Test opener Lees rating an impressive career-best 144, from 107 balls and that includes 19 fours.

But as spectacular as Lees was, the really spectacular strokeplay got here from Bedingham, who struck seven sixes and 6 fours in a runaway 102 from simply 54 balls, and Clark, whose 58-ball 72 included three sixes and 7 fours.

Bedingham and Lees blitzed 194 for the second wicket in solely 19 overs after Clark and Lees had opened up with 135 within the first 17 overs following Durham’s resolution to bat.

Only Tom Haines, with 65 from 56 balls, put up any form of problem to Durham’s large rating as Tom Alsop was bowled within the second over of Sussex’s reply and returning Indian Test star Cheteshwar Pujara disappointingly slapped a return catch to off-spinner George Drissell.

James Coles additionally pulled a protracted hop from Liam Trevaskis to midwicket to go for 12 and Haines edged Jonathan Bushnell’s medium tempo behind to go away the Sharks 113 for 4 within the nineteenth over. From there it was solely a matter of time earlier than Durham accomplished victory, though Fynn Hudson-Prentice had some lower-order enjoyable with two sixes and eight fours of his personal in a 34-ball 65 and Henry Crocombe helped himself to a career-high 47 earlier than being final man out.

Lees struck a outstanding six fours in a single seven-ball Crocombe over, which included a no ball and value the younger paceman 26 runs, whereas off-spinner Jack Carson’s first three overs have been plundered for 41. To each Sussex bowlers’ credit score, they caught to their thankless duties on a belting batting pitch to complete with 3 for 81 and 4 for 83 respectively.

Bedingham struck left-arm fast Bradley Currie for 3 sixes in an over, and two straight sixes off successive balls from sluggish left-armer Coles. His first six, maybe the largest hit of the lot, was hoisted off Carson, and he additionally swung Haines’ medium tempo excessive over the identical hospitality bins.

Clark, who took two legside sixes off Hudson-Prentice’s seam-up and a wonderful further cowl 4 apart from, started the carnage by flipping Steven Finn over the lengthy leg ropes within the former England quick bowler’s fourth over with the brand new ball, which additionally contained three legside wides. Finn later left the sphere, regardless of some boundary-edge therapy, and in addition didn’t bat.

There have been 12 sixes and 37 fours in Durham’s imposing complete, which comfortably eclipsed their earlier List A better of 405 for 4, made in opposition to Kent at Beckenham in 2021.

At one stage, when the Lees-Bedingham stand was at its peak, it appeared as if Durham would make 500, not to mention high 400. Indeed, on the 35-over mark they have been 320 for 1 however Lees fell within the subsequent over to spark a collapse – if it might be known as that – of six wickets for 19 runs in 4.3 overs.

However, Bushnell and Michael Jones then added a sensibly-paced 65 in eight overs for the eighth wicket, and Durham’s rating simply handed 400 in the long run.

Jones drove Crocombe straight for six in a 29-ball 38 earlier than falling to a catch within the deep off the identical bowler within the penultimate over. Drissell managed one neatly minimize 4 in a short keep and Bushnell remained unbeaten on 37, from 31 balls.

Earlier, Crocombe had Clark caught at deep sq. leg and later added the wickets of Bedingham, taken at lengthy off within the thirty seventh over, whereas Carson despatched again Lees, leg-before sweeping, Migael Pretorius, Ben McKinney and Trevaskis in fast succession.

When Hudson-Prentice bowled Paul Coughlin, firstly of the forty first over, Durham have been immediately 348 for seven however the Jones-Bushnell partnership ensured a record-breaking complete was reached.