Smith and Benkenstein lead rout

Durham 332 for 4 (Smith 103, Benkenstein 94*) beat Worcestershire 189 (M Ali 86, Breese 5-49) by 143 runs
Scorecard

Will Smith's first limited overs century powered Durham to the top of the North Conference as they completed a 143-run demolition of Worcestershire. Smith's hundred was followed by Dale Benkenstein's impressive striking as the captain hit 94 from 66 balls.

Smith and Benkenstein added 155 for the fourth wicket as Worcestershire's attack were given a day to forget. Kabir Ali, especially, will want to put events behind him as the former England seamer went for 94 off his 10 overs. Doug Bollinger fared little better, also conceding over nine-an-over, and only Ray Price's economical spell prevented even further carnage.

Any chance of the visitors making an impact on their chase was blown away as they sank to 17 for 3. Ottis Gibson, who can still do a better job than some of the West Indians in the tour party, grabbed two as Steve Harmison and Liam Plunkett were made to wait for the ball.

The England pair failed to impress, bowling six overs each for a total of 73 runs and a wicket apiece. They were overshadowed at the end by Gareth Breese, who claimed his first one-day five-wicket haul to wrap up the massive win, with only Moeen Ali providing meaningful resistance with a career-best 86.