Cricket: Phillips' heroics light up Durham

Derbyshire 143-9 Durham 146-3 Durham win by 7 wickets

DURHAM'S FIRST experience of floodlit cricket brought a spectacular end to their one-day nightmare as they thrashed Derbyshire at Chester- le-street last night.

After eight successive defeats in the CGU National League, plus an embarrassing NatWest Trophy exit in the Netherlands, they thrilled a crowd of just over 4,000 with an astonishing recovery from a poor start.

In a match reduced by rain to 33 overs a side, Derbyshire chose to bat and the openers, Michael Slater (50) and Dominic Cork (34), raced to 90 before the first wicket fell in the 17th over. But after losing five wickets for five runs in four overs, including two run-outs, they struggled to close on 143 for 9. The off-spinner Nicky Phillips was the Durham hero claiming 4 for 13 in seven overs to make him the competition's leading wicket-taker with 17.

With their captain, David Boon, leading the assault with 61, Durham sped to their target in 25.3 overs and the full benefit of the floodlights was hardly seen.