Dynamos put out Dragons

Smith helps men in black book a trip to The Rose Bowl this weekend

Last updated: 22nd July 2008

Will Smith Durham Dynamos Glamorgan Dragons

Smith: Led the Dynamos' recovery with the bat

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Twenty20 Cup - Quarter Final
Riverside
Durham 163-8 (W R Smith 51) v Glamorgan 119
Durham beat Glamorgan by 44 runs

Durham belatedly booked their place at Twenty20 Cup finals day with an impressive 44-run win over Glamorgan at The Riverside.

Will Smith's 51 from 38 balls helped the Dynamos recover from a shaky start to post a total of 163-8 in the long awaited quarter-final.

Glamorgan, who had sneaked back into the competition following Yorkshire's expulsion for fielding an ineligible player, fell well short on 119.

James Dalrymple top-scored with 32 for the Dragons, who thought they were out of the tournament until the Tykes' appeal saw themselves, and not Nottinghamshire, awarded a place in the quarter-finals.

Impressive Plunkett

Liam Plunkett followed up his final-over hitting with the bat when he scored 12 off just three balls by picking up 3-16, including two wickets in his first over.

The England seamer was the pick of a star-studded attack that boasted veteran South African Shaun Pollock, who claimed the final two wickets of the match.

Steve Harmison also played his part, bowling with excellent pace and some clever variations, one such well disguised slower ball seeing him clean bowl Mark Wallace for 26.

Durham had been struggling themselves at the start of their innings, at one stage slipping to 49-4 with many of their big guns going early.

Phil Mustard was the first to depart when he was bowled by the impressive James Harris, who then tempted West Indies star Shivnarine Chanderpaul straight to mid-on for seven.

Serious hole

In between England one-day skipper Paul Collingwood went for just two, trapped leg before by David Harrison, and when Michael Di Venuto was caught and bowled by Robert Croft, the hosts were in serious a hole.

It was left to the in-form Smith, fresh from a double century in the LV County Championship against Surrey, and captain Dale Benkenstein to rebuild with a fifth-wicket stand of 53.

However, the crucial stage of the contest came after Smith had been run out, Durham's powerful lower order managing to hit 55 off the last four overs, 22 of which came off teenager Harris bowling the 20th.

Both Gareth Breese and Pollock, fresh from working for Sky Sports during the second Test at Headingley, contributed quick-fire knocks of 20 before Plunkett finished the innings with a flourish.

Durham's reward for their win is a trip to The Rose Bowl on Saturday to take on Middlesex in the second semi-final.