Durham v Derbyshire day 4

Durham 293 and 242

Derbyshire 268 and 238

Durham won by 30 runs

For a good hour or so of the morning session, Durham looked set to leave Derbyshire around 300 to win in the final two sessions. As it was, the final target of 268 represented nose bleed territory for the county from an historical perspective, our previous highest successful chase being the 224 we successfully chased, for the loss of six wickets, in 2001.

That it got to that stage was the result of Durham going from 209-5 to 242 all out in the space of five overs. It smacked of declaration batting, but I would be surprised if the home side hadn't aimed a little higher than they made. Especially when the last wicket came from a communication breakdown between Rushworth and Alex Lees, who carried his bat for an unbeaten century.

There were two wickets each for Matt Critchley and Logan van Beek and the equation was thus 268 to win in 75 overs. The breaking of a record notwithstanding, it looked on, from the way that Lees and Ned Eckersley had batted. Yet the caution was that no one, with the possible exception of Matt Critchley in his excellent first innings, had really timed the ball consistently, while the home side's score had been boosted by 37 extras, a tally that could come back to bite us.

Reece and Godleman, left with an awkward half hour before the lunch break, took the score to thirty in that time. Afterwards they were quickly into their stride before Reece went for a wide one and edged through to the keeper, after a partnership worth 55 runs. The bounce was perhaps a little low, but he would have been disappointed with the dismissal.

Madsen came in on a pair, after a four-ball dismissal in the first innings, and this time lasted only six, before being adjudged leg before to Raine, who had just returned from treatment for an injury, sustained in the field. The old cricket adage of adding two wickets on to a score to see its true value came home, as we reached 60-2, Madsen recording only the fourth pair of his career.

Godleman was punching the ball well through the covers, but had a let off when caught at slip from the bowling of Rushworth, who had bowled a no ball. As he had in the first innings, Raine looked the biggest threat to Derbyshire's ambitions, though the skill of Rushworth has not diminished over the years and he ran in as willingly as ever. Eventually, near the end of a hostile spell, he brought one back into the Derbyshire skipper, who departed leg before for 42.

The top three gone, our dire need was for someone to play the role that Lees did so well yesterday. The scoreboard barely moved for several overs, as Harte attacked a perceived weakness of Lace with a straight and short mid-wicket, aiming to get him playing in the air. The young batsman handled it well and, as he usually does, looked calm and composed, yet on the stroke of tea Harte bowled him with one where he seemed to play inside the line.

The score was 96-4 at tea, with 172 needed from 36 overs. It hadn't been a good afternoon for Derbyshire and the greater challenge seemed to be in not losing the game, winning seemingly some way off. Hughes hadn't looked convincing and the next spell from Raine and Rushworth looked set to be pivotal.

And yet...after tea Critchley and Hughes ate into the target with calm assurance. There were no shots of undue ambition, just punishment of the bad ball, together with some judicious running between the wickets.The target came down to under a hundred when Hughes, on 40, was bowled by Carse, the ball jagging in and keeping a little low. The stand had put on 85 and given Derbyshire a very good chance of winning the game.

87 to win at five an over as du Plooy came to the wicket. Carse, bowling from the Castle End, worked up a good head of pace, but the 200 came up as both batsmen took fours from the over. There were 54 runs needed when du Plooy fenced at one from Raine he could have left alone and was caught behind for a breezy but too short 19.

Raine had a fine game for Durham and continued to look the main danger. That was his seventh wicket of the match and the last ten overs arrived with 51 needed to win. Yet 41 were still needed four overs later, as Hosein struggled to get the ball away An edged four gave some respite, but the last five overs arrived with 34 still needed.

When Critchley holed out at deep mid wicket for an excellent 71, the chase seemed over, and Hosein's suicidal run to mid off, two balls later ended an innings of eight from 17 balls, to leave defeat a greater possibility. van Beek was bowled next ball by Rushworth, to leave 34 needed, or 26 balls to survive.

It was another over of poor cricket from Derbyshire, and while not wishing to be overly critical of a young player, Hosein's inability to score put additional pressure on Critchley to do so. Palladino was bowled neck and crop by the first ball of Raine's next over, and that was it, defeat by 30 runs.

In the end it was hugely disappointing, a defeat that was somehow snatched from the jaws of victory. Though at the end of it all, a terrific game of cricket.

Back to the drawing board, and a trip to Wales next week.

But we really should have won this one.