Durham Dismantle Bears Top-Order to Seal Convincing Vitality Blast Win

Durham Dismantle Bears Top-Order to Seal Convincing Vitality Blast Win

Durham kicked off their 2025 Vitality Blast campaign with a confident three-wicket victory over Birmingham Bears, after a superb bowling performance left the hosts reeling at 4 for 3 and ultimately restricted to a below-par 143.

Chasing 144, Durham were led by composed knocks from Ollie Robinson (45 off 36) and Graham Clark (40 off 23), as they reached the target with 17 balls to spare, finishing on 147 for 7. The win condemned the Bears to their second consecutive defeat in the competition.

Having elected to bowl, Durham’s new-ball bowlers struck immediately. Callum Parkinson delivered a dream opening over, conceding just one run while removing both Alex Davies and Tom Latham. Zak Foulkes then added the crucial wicket of Moeen Ali, caught at short fine leg, leaving the Bears in deep trouble at 4 for 3 inside three overs.

Sam Hain (45 off 28) and Ed Barnard (23) tried to repair the innings, but Durham’s attack continued to chip away. Ben Raine returned to clean up Barnard with a pinpoint yorker, before Nathan Sowter knocked over Kai Smith and trapped George Garton lbw in quick succession. Hain’s dismissal — lifting Jimmy Neesham to extra cover — all but ended hopes of a significant recovery. Neesham closed out the innings with figures of 3 for 34, with Danny Briggs falling to the final ball of the 20th over.

The Bears' 143 all out was built almost solely on Hain's resistance, and the total looked well below par on a decent surface.

Durham’s chase began confidently, with Clark’s aggressive strokeplay powering them to 50 in just five overs. Although Barnard gave the Bears a glimmer of hope with early wickets — removing Alex Lees and Colin Ackermann — the bowlers at the other end leaked runs. Moeen Ali and Adam Sylvester combined to concede 32 runs in their first two overs, releasing the early pressure.

Jake Lintott ended Clark’s innings, and Moeen struck twice to remove Neesham and Raine, but by then Durham were well in control. Robinson and former Bears player Will Rhodes combined for a composed 24-run partnership that took the visitors within touching distance.

Robinson fell with just six runs needed, but Rhodes fittingly hit the winning boundary against the side that had overlooked him in their T20 line-ups in recent seasons.

With this convincing win, Durham signaled their intent for the season, while the Bears are left searching for answers after back-to-back losses to open their campaign.

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