Breese signs off with fairytale win

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By Matt Somerford

Gareth Breese enjoyed a fairytale end to his Durham career as he hit the winning runs to claim a low-scoring Royal London One-Day Cup final victory against Warwickshire by three wickets.

The 38-year-old’s 3-30 helped to skittle Warwickshire for 165, after Durham won an important toss on a murky day at Lord’s, before the north-east county embarked on a nervy chase that set the scene for Breese to be the match-winner.

The popular Jamiaca-born all-rounder – playing his final Durham game after a decade at the club – edged away the winning runs through third man and then raced into the crowd to embrace his family.

Durham’s pursuit owed significantly to man of the match Ben Stokes, who remained unbeaten on 38 and led a 36-run stand with Breese to steer them home with almost 10 overs to spare.

Ben Stokes leaps for joy after he and Gareth Breese steered Durham to a nervy three-wicket Royal London One-Day Cup final success

Durham were, however, made to sweat from the outset of their pursuit – with Phil Mustard bowled by Rikki Clarke second ball – while Jeetan Patel threatened to be the match-winner as he returned 4-25.

The New Zealand spinner went past 100 county wickets for the season in the process and such was his display that the Durham fans cheered heartily when his 10-over set was finally concluded.

Only Warwickshire skipper Varun Chopra’s 64 at the top of the order provided the required resistance after his side were thrown into bat in difficult conditions.

The Bears were aiming to sweep the limited-overs trophies this season after their NatWest T20 Blast success last month, but could only last 47 overs as Breese’s three wickets were the best return with Durham’s bowlers sharing the load dutifully.

Jeetan Patel's four wickets, all lbw, threatened to steal the final away for Warwickshire after they were bowled out for 165 at Lord's

Durham captain Mark Stoneman then hit a run-a-ball 52, after Mustard and Calum MacLeod both failed to score, but Patel applied the handbrake as he took all four of his wickets lbw.

Gordon Muchall was the last of those, to leave Durham needing 36 when Breese strode out to bat in Durham colours for the last time.

And while he and Stokes – who earlier took 2-25 – endured some nervy moments, they were ultimately able to celebrate a hard-earned win to match their only other Lord’s final appearance – in 2007 when Breese was also a part of the side.

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Post-Match Reaction

Ben Stokes was named man of the match for his all-round contribution of 2-25 and a nerveless 38 not out to see his side home.

Speaking after the game, he paid tribute to the departing Gareth Breese: “It’s brilliant to get another trophy for Durham; that’s two in a row and its pretty special to do it for Gareth Breese’s last game.

“To hit the winning runs was absolutely perfect and it was great to see him run over to his family and celebrate with them. He’s been a very, very consistent performer for us in white-ball cricket; it’s sad to see him go but it’s brilliant for him to leave on such a high.”

Mark Stoneman admitted the achievement hadn’t quite sunk in yet: “I’m sure it will sink in at some point over the next couple of days. It was a bit nervy towards the end but to see Breesey hit the winning runs was a fitting send-off for him.

“There was a bit in it for the seamers. There’s a lot of quality throughout their team so we knew it would be hard work but thankfully we got over the line in the end.”

On Breese, he added: “He’s getting on a bit so he might be in bed early but we’ll enjoy it as long as he stays out.”

Losing captain Varun Chopra reflected: “We were probably a little bit short, 200 would have made it interesting I reckon, but credit to the way Durham bowled.

“It’s a bit of a sin getting bowled out in 50-over cricket so we didn’t make the most of the overs used and unfortunately we didn’t have that one partnership in the batting innings to put Durham under pressure.”

Durham Innings

Watch highlights of Durham’s nervy chase

5.25pm – RESULT! DURHAM (166/7) BEAT WARWICKSHIRE (165) BY THREE WICKETS TO WIN THE ROYAL LONDON ONE-DAY CUP!! Stokes 38, Breese 15 – Breese does hit the winning runs. He shaped to leave the ball but got an under-edge that sent it to the rope. An emotional success as Breese runs off to embrace his young family.

5.22pm – Breese lifts Rankin over the slips for four. Durham are almost there. Can Breese hit the winning runs in his final game?

Stokes denied Rushworth his 10-wicket innings haul in midweek – albeit by mistake. Will he allow Breese to take the honours today. I think he’ll try.

5.18pm – Woakes returns from the Pavilion End for the first time today. He finds Stokes’ edge but the ball flies through about fourth slip to the rope. Ten needed.

5.12pm – By my maths Durham can afford to draw level with Warwickshire’s 165 to win the game. If that was to happen the deciding factor would be who has lost the least wickets – just like two years ago when Warwickshire lost. 

However, if that was to happen then Durham would almost certainly be bowled out too, so then it would come down to who was ahead after 10 overs – Durham were. Clear as mud? Durham need 165 to win.

5.09pm – What is Stokes doing? It looked like he was going to play out Patel’s final over until he tries a reverse-sweep that he under-edges just past his leg stump. The ball continues on to the rope. Reckless yet effective in the end from Stokes. He’s a maverick.

The Durham fans cheer loudly as Patel’s set is done with an impressive return of 10-2-25-4. He took his 100th county wicket of the summer during that spell.

5.01pm – Clarke is brought back into the attack. Stokes clips him past a diving Porterfield for four on the midwicket rope before he drives confidently over mid-on for another boundary. Durham need 25 to win. Time for the powerplay.

4.50pm – WICKET! Muchall lbw Patel 9; Dur 130/7 – Every time you think Durham are starting to look safe Warwickshire take a wicket. Patel grabs a fourth lbw with another ball that he pushed through a bit quicker. Muchall had hit the Kiwi for his first boundary of the game earlier in his ninth over. In comes Gareth Breese in his last game…

4.45pm – CHANCE! Patel misses from cover with Gordon Muchall not even in the frame. Stokes pushed and ran. Muchall was slow to respond, but he probably wouldn’t have made it if he was straight off his mark. Nerves.

4.40pm – It is very gloomy here at Lord’s now. The lights have taken over completely.

4.34pm – WICKET! Collingwood c Porterfield b Hannon-Dalby 21; Dur 117/6 – Warwickshire refuse to give in. Collingwood drives at a ball that wasn’t quite there to be driven and he squirts a catch to Porterfield at point.

4.30pm – Patel has been brought straight back into the attack from the Pavilion End. Stokes gets him away for one with a reverse-sweep before Collingwood works away the final ball for another single. That will do for Durham. They need 49 from 21 overs.

4.26pm – Patel’s overs in spare are being saved with Rankin back into the attack. I wonder if Ateeq Javid’s spin will get a go soon?  For the moment Chopra is turning to pace. Collingwood greets Rankin with a boundary.

4.17pm – You get the feeling this is the partnership to decide the match now. Paul Collingwood loves this sort of situation and Ben Stokes appears prepared to do whatever his senior partner tells him. Durham have now gone past 100. The more important stat, however, is probably the fact Patel has three overs left.

3.58pm – WICKET! Borthwick lbw Patel 12; Dur 86/5 – Scott Borthwick misses a sweep at Patel and the replay shows the ball was crashing into middle. That is a third lbw decision for Patel. Durham need to play him with a straighter bat.

Patel’s figures are 5-2-5-3. What a season he has had in all formats. Player of the season? Surely.

3.42pm – WICKET! Stoneman lbw Patel 52; Dur 74/4 – Stoneman tries a cross-bat shot to a faster Patel delivery and he’s beaten for pace as the ball hits him in front. That’s clever bowling and, perhaps, a risk from Stoneman he didn’t need to take. 

3.30pm – FIFTY! Stoneman (43b 10×4 0x6) – Stoneman shovels Boyd Rankin through midwicket for his 10th boundary and brings up a half-century to match the work of his opposite skipper Chopra. 

3.22pm – WICKET! Jennnings lbw Patel 8; Dur 60/3 – Jeetan Patel strikes in his first over. Keaton Jennings plays across the spin and is trapped in front to end a 48-run stand. Patel is finding a bit of turn.

3.19pm – After 21 deliveries Durham score again. Stoneman then follows it up with another eye-catching cover drive for four off Hannon-Dalby. That’s his ninth boundary out of his score of 44.

3.11pm – After back-to-back maidens Durham are 48 for two. Durham were 27 for one at the same stage.

3.02pm – It’s not happening for Woakes as Stoneman gets him away for three boundaries in the same over – the most expensive of the match – with the first four a near-perfect cover drive. Woakes has conceded seven boundaries in all and it is hardly surprising that Oliver Hannon-Dalby is now warming up.

2.40pm – WICKET! MacLeod c Chopra b Clarke 0; Dur 12/2 – Calum MacLeod flashes at a full delivery and edges straight into Varun Chopra’s hands at first slip. Clarke is fully pumped up and why not? That’s two ducks.

2.38pm – Mark Stoneman nicks Chris Woakes just wide of the slip cordon for his second boundary. It took Warwickshire until the 13th over to score their second boundary. It appears, however, that there are still plenty of gremlins in this wicket.

2.31pm – WICKET! Mustard b Clarke 0; Dur 6/1 – Warwickshire have got the start they needed as Rikki Clarke thuds a full delivery into Phil Mustard’s middle stump in the first over.

Warwickshire Innings

See the best bits as Warwickshire were limited to 165

1.43pm – WICKET & END OF INNINGS! Rankin run out (Borthwick) 1; Warks 165 – Boyd Rankin attempts to return for an ambitious second run and he is caught well short of his ground by Borthwick’s throw from the deep. Javid is left unbeaten on 22 as Warwickshire leave three overs unused.

1.36pm – WICKET! Hannon-Dalby c Stokes b Breese 6; Warks 162/9 – Hannon-Dalby clips Breese to Stokes at mid-on for a simple catch. After watching Javid hit that big six in the previous over he probably needed to just give his partner the strike. Breese has three in his final game.

1.35pm – Ateeq Javid jumps down the wicket and thumps Coughlin back over his head for six. The tall Durham quick looks back at the diminutive spinner in a quizzical fashion that suggests he did not think he was capable of that.

1.29pm – DROPPED! Oliver Hannon-Dalby drives over Mark Stoneman at cover where he can only get his fingertips to the ball at full stretch, jumping up. A very tough chance.

1.21pm – WICKET! Patel c Jennings b Breese 14; Warks 144/8 – Jeetan Patel launches Breese over mid-off for the first six of the day, skipping down the wicket and giving himself some room. When he then tries the same shot next ball all he can do is squirt a catch to Keaton Jennings and short third-man.

1.13pm – The batting powerplay is over. Warwickshire managed 10 runs for the loss of Chopra.  

12.58pm – WICKET! Chopra b Rushworth 64; Warks 123/7 – Chopra can’t believe he’s been bowled. He’s walked across his stumps to work Rushworth away and exposed his leg stump. Rushworth strikes in his first over back and Chopra slowly, slowly walks off. He batted very well to try and knit this innings together. However, his departure leaves his side facing the prospect of a score well below 200.

12.53pm – Warwickshire have taken the batting powerplay at the start of the 35th over with the score 122 for six. Stokes returns and his first over costs just a single.

12.44pm – WICKET! Woakes c MacLeod b Breese 23; Wark 115/6 – What a catch! Calum MacLeod seemed to get himself in a tangle running back from mid-on, but most importantly he kept his eye on the ball the whole time and was able to correct his body position at the last minute to snatch the ball out of the air. That’s a huge wicket for Durham because Woakes was looking good. The stand with Chopra was worth 47.

12.38pm – FIFTY! Chopra (95b 3×4 0x6) – Chopra goes to a half-century with his third boundary. His patience has been priceless for the Bears in the circumstances.

12.37pm – Collingwood has completed his set of 10, taking 2-26. He’ll finish the tournament with 14 wickets – Durham’s joint most with the absent John Hastings.

12.23pm – Woakes drives Collingwood straight for his third boundary. He has looked very steady in the short time he has been at the crease. Warwickshire are 88 for five after 27 overs.

It’s time for the spin of Breese now in his final game for Durham after a decade in the north-east.

12.19pm – Stokes’ spell of 6-0-18-2 from the Nursery End is over. Collingwood has been brought back on. His medium-pacers are a good fit for these conditions. In his way though is Chopra, who has stood firm so far. A captain’s knock if you will. He’s looking to bat through.

12.12pm – Chris Woakes comes to the crease and confidently drives Stokes through midwicket for a couple of boundaries in the same over. Stokes throws a wider ball out to finish the over, which Woakes chases and misses. A good contest might be brewing between the two England all-rounders.

12.01pm – WICKET! Clarke b Stokes 2; Warks 68/5 – Clarke tries to play across the line to a full Stokes delivery and pays the price as the ball clatters into middle and off. Warwickshire have lost three for five in the last 18 balls.

11.54am – DROPPED! – Mustard gets fingertips to a catch to his right as new man Rikki Clarke swishes at Stokes. It would have been a sharp take, but one he should have made.

11.51am – WICKET! Evans c Breese b Stokes 0; Warks 64/4 – Warwickshire are in deep trouble. Laurie Evans cops a brute of a short ball from Stokes that pins his glove and loops up for Breese to take a simple catch at second slip. The ball seemed to nip back up the slope and caught Evans in a bad position as he tucked himself up in self preservation.

11.45am – WICKET! Ambrose c Breese b Collingwood 11; Warks 63/3 – Ambrose flashes at a wide ball again, but this time the slip fielder holds on. It is Gareth Breese who takes the sharp catch and Collingwood will be happy his drop is not costly.

11.26am – DROPPED! – Tim Ambrose is put down by Collingwood at first slip. Ambrose slashed at a wide Ben Stokes delivery that came at a good height for Collingwood, but he could not hold on to his right. That’s hurt his hand too. 

11.19am – Chopra breaks the shackles as he drives an over-pitched Rushworth delivery through mid-off to the rope. That is Warwickshire’s first boundary in 63 balls.

11.12am – WICKET! Trott lbw Collingwood 2; Warks 29/2 – That is a huge wicket. Jonathan Trott has scored centuries in his past three limited-overs matches against Durham, but not today. Paul Collingwood beats him with a ball that seams down the slope and hits him dead in front. That was just Collingwood’s third delivery.

11.05am – Durham are 27 for one after the 10-over powerplay. The conditions are obviously a major factor in that score. Durham will be happy to have kept the runs down, but equally Warwickshire will be happy to have lost just the one wicket.

There were 41 dot balls in the powerplay with just the one boundary – that squirted leading-edge from Porterfield through point.

10.55am – Chopra is living dangerously at the moment. He edges Coughling just in front of second slip before a play and a miss at the other end facing Rushworth, who is operating from the Nursery End. Warwickshire are 18 for one after seven overs.

10.46am – WICKET! Porterfield c Mustard b Rushworth 9; Warks 16/1 – He’s at it again. Rushworth finds just enough movement to find Porterfield’s edge as he tentatively gropes forward. Phil Mustard then takes a low catch to his left.

10.39am – Warwickshire skipper Varun Chopra survives a loud caught-behind appeal off Paul Coughlin after the ball flies between bat and leg. Porterfield then gets a leading edge to Rushworth through point and watches it flash away to the rope.

10.32am – Chris Rushworth finds Will Porterfield’s edge, but it falls just short of frst slip. He is going to be dangerous in these overcast conditions. Warwickshire take two from the over.

Pre-Play News

10.28am – Chris Rushworth will be getting us started. The last time he bowled he took 15 wickets in a day…he can’t get that many today, but conditions should suit him.

10.15am – Believe it or not England quick Boyd Rankin will play his first domestic game at Lord’s today. He’s been all over the country – from Hartlepool to Maidstone – but never to Lord’s in a county shirt.

10.10am – Durham have selected Breese for his final game for the county. Their XI looks as follows: MD Stoneman, P Mustard, CS MacLeod, BA Stokes, PD Collingwood, KK Jennings, SG Borthwick, GJ Muchall, GR Breese, P Coughlin, C Rushworth.

Warwickshire’s team: V Chopra, WTS Porterfield, IJL Trott, TR Ambrose, R Clarke, LJ Evans, CR Woakes, A Javid, JS Patel, OL Hannon-Dalby, WB Rankin.

10.06am – No surprise that Mark Stoneman has elected to bowl. It’s grey, the clouds are hanging low, it’s a fairly early start and there’s a tinge of green in the wicket. Throw in the prospect of Duckworth/Lewis calculations later on and that was an important toss to win.

10.02am – London woke up to a grey morning and the covers have been on. The good news though is that there has not been any rain about for the past few hours so the outfield is fine and the players have been able to warm-up as they would normally. The big centre-wicket cover has since been removed too. 

10am – Welcome to this morning’s live blog from Lord’s where Warwickshire will look to complete a sweep of the limited-overs trophies this season following their NatWest T20 Blast success last month.

Durham are chasing a fifth title in eight seasons, which was kick-started by their win in this tournament at Lord’s in 2007. Popular all-rounder Gareth Breese, who was a part of that success, is set to play his final game with the club today after a decade in the north-east.

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