More success for Shiv as Durham win first County title

Sunday, September 28, 2008
CANTERBURY, England (CMC) – Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s phenomenal run of success continued yesterday when Durham beat Kent by innings and 71 runs to lift the English County Championship Division One title for the first time.

The left-handed Chanderpaul, who was recently voted the ICC Cricketer-of-the-Year and also ranked No one in the ICC Test batting rankings, scored just 20 in the match but watched as seamers Callum Thorp and England’s Steve Harmison ripped apart Kent on the final day to add another trophy to his cabinet.

Starting the day at 159 for five and requiring a further 116 to avoid an innings defeat, the hosts collapsed to 204 all out in just 16 overs.

With leaders Nottinghamshire crashing to a 203-run defeat to Hampshire at Trent Bridge and the second placed Somerset falling to an eight-wicket loss to Lancashire at Taunton, Durham’s outright win was enough to hand them the title.
Thorp, who had claimed all five wickets the previous evening, finished with a career-best seven for 88 while Harmison took 3-58, despite a wrist injury.

Earlier on Friday, it was former Jamaica and West Indies all-rounder Gareth Breese who set up Durham’s win with a superb, unbeaten 121 that allowed the visitors to post 500-8 declared in response to Kent’s first innings 225.

Both Breese and Chanderpaul, despite their limited appearances in the Championship, played crucial roles for Durham in the title capture.

The left-handed Chanderpaul finished with 411 runs from eight matches while Breese, used predominantly in the shorter form of the game this season, finished with 184 runs from two matches after scoring a century and a half-century in his only two innings.

Source: Jamaica Observer