Muchall keeps Durham hopes alive

Durham completed their Friends Life t20 programme with a fourth successive win when they beat Derbyshire by 37 runs at Chester-le-Street. The Dynamos must now wait to discover whether they have qualified for the quarter-finals as one of the two best third-placed teams.

Durham were penalised 0.25 points for a salary-cap breach last season, leaving them third in the division on 11.75. They now need either defeat for Glamorgan or a no-result between Warwickshire and Somerset in the Midlands/West/Wales Group, or both Essex and Middlesex to lose in the South Group, to see them through as one of the two best third-placed teams.

After being put in, Gordon Muchall's T20 best of 66 not out took Durham to 187 for 3 and earned him the man of the match award. Derbyshire were all out for 150 with seven balls unused. There were three sixes in Muchall's 26-ball half-century and his stand of 79 in just under seven overs with Scott Borthwick virtually put the game beyond Derbyshire.

They looked like making a fight of it as they sped to 42 in the first four overs of their reply, but the challenge faded after Chesney Hughes went down the pitch and was stumped for 34 in Gareth Breese's first over. Hughes hit seven fours in his 22-ball knock, but the only other significant contribution came from Dan Redfern.

He made 43 off 34 balls before falling to a stunning diving catch at long-off by Ben Stokes, who also showed his athleticism with a sharp piece of fielding off his own bowling to run out Alex Hughes.

Phil Mustard, playing his 100th T20 game for Durham, contributed 24 from 21 balls to an opening stand of 54 with acting captain Mark Stoneman, who went on to make 47. His exit brought in Muchall at 83 for 2 in the 11th over and two overs later he drove two successive balls from Wes Durston over long-on for six then also cleared the rope off Redfern.

Stokes, the competition's leading six-hitter with 18, was unable to add to his tally. He made 10 not out after going in when Borthwick fell for 31 in the 18th over.