Durham 427-9 (50 overs)
Sussex 295 all out (39 overs)
Durham win by 132 runs
Record breaking centuries from Alex Lees and David Bedingham took Durham to 427-9 from their 50 overs – enough to put Sussex to the sword in their opening fixture of the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.
Captain Lees claimed Durham’s highest ever List-A total of 144 from only 107 balls while number three batter Bedingham made their fastest-ever List-A ton from just 52 balls.
Opener Graeme Clark was the only other visiting bat to offer any serious contribution. His 58-ball 72 may not hold a torch to his colleagues’ scores but he set the pace for a giant Durham score.
In reply, a sloppy Sussex were all out for 295, losing by 132 runs.
Joining forces in the 17th over, Lees and Bedingham launched a ruthless assault on a shell-shocked Sussex bowling attack, sharing a blistering 192-run partnership.
Lees, who’s been in fine touch in this year’s County Championship, hit a staggering 19 boundaries in his 144 minutes at the crease, including six fours off seamer Henry Crocombe in the 35th over.
In a chaotic few balls, the left-hander pulled anything mildly short past the multiple men stationed on the leg-side boundary, before stepping away and ramping Crocombe over the head of wicket-keeper Oli Carter.
He was equally attacking against spin – sweeping, reverse-sweeping and slogging both James Coles and Jack Carson.
At the other end, Bedingham went about his work expertly. After finding his first boundary with a classical straight drive off Fynn Hudson-Prentice, the 29-year-old reached his fifty in the 29th over.
He then went into overdrive, taking just 18 more balls to claim a stunning century. The pick of his 13 boundaries were the three gargantuan sixes he pulled off seam bowler Brad Currie in the 33rd over.
At 329-1 in the 36th over, Durham looked to be pushing 500. That was until a bizarre five-over spell when the visitors lost six wickets for 19 runs.
Despite leaking plenty of runs, Carson came back in emphatic style, dismissing the excellent Lees and youngster Ben McKinney lbw before Migael Pretorius was caught in the deep and Liam Trevaskis chipped a simple catch back to the bowler.
Crocombe also managed to regain some pride, as both Bedingham and David Jones were caught in the deep off his bowling. With his earlier wicket of Graeme Clark, the 21-year-old finished with figures of 3-81 from his 10 overs.
Brad Currie and Fynn Hudson Prentice also took a wicket each as the home side restricted Durham to 427 from their 50 overs.
In reply, a professional bowling performance enabled the visitors to cruise to victory in 39.1 overs.
Paul Coughlin and George Drissell both struck early. The former bowled Sussex opener Tom Alsop with a quick in-swinging delivery while the latter dismissed Indian maestro Cheteshwar Pujara with a sharp catch off his own bowling.
Fresh off a hat-trick in his last game, Liam Trevaskis was also excellent. In a clinical middle-over spell, the off-spinner had youngster Coles caught by Lees at mid-wicket before George Clark was stumped for 21.
In an otherwise dreary chase, flashy fifties from Haines and Hudson-Prentice gave the Hove faithful something to smile about. Haines was his usual classical self for 65 (56) while Hudson-prentice was inventive, scooping and reverse sweeping his way to 65 off 34 balls.
Sadly for Sussex, Haines was caught behind off the bowling of the reliable Jonny Bushnell, who also dismissed Carter for 10, while Pretorius had Carson caught for 15.
After Hudson-Prentice fell to medium pacer Oliver Gibson, Sussex slumped to defeat. Trevaskis took his third and final wicket, with Clark stumping Currie.
Nine down, Steven Finn, who sustained a back injury while bowling, did not come out to bat.
Speaking after the game head coach Paul Farbrace said: “The opposition are allowed to play well and I thought they played brilliantly. Their first 15 overs killed the game off, in the way that their openers went about it. I thought they played exceptionally well and they didn’t give us a chance.
“We’ve been beaten by a much better team today. They out-batted, bowled and fielded us. They played brilliantly and got far too many runs.
“If someone in your top four doesn’t get 150 when you’re chasing 400, then it’s a long day. They played really well. We didn’t.”
On Steven Finn’s injury, Farbrace said: “He’s going to have a scan on Monday and we’ll find out where he’s at. The great shame is the fact that he’s worked so hard over a 12-month period to get himself back from a major knee surgery … into a position where he can play.
“Unfortunately he’s hurt his back but he couldn’t have done any more to get himself into a position to be playing. It’s a great shame that the first proper game back, he’s not able to complete it.”
Today was Finn’s first competitive fixture in 399 days, after the seamer suffered a knee injury last season.
Sussex’s next fixture is on Sunday (6 August), away to Northamptonshire.
