Durham Match Thread 2026

[Durhamfootman]

Here we go again. Welcome back to div 2

Will our pre-season in Abu Dhabi go ahead? The men are supposed to be travelling in 10 days time, but at the moment that feels highly unlikely.

The plan was for a 3 day T20 festival followed by a 2 day red ball game v Yorks and then after they return the women were flying out to play a T20 tournament and a 50 over game

Back home there is a 2 day game at Hove and the 3 day Uni game at the Riverside for the men and a 50 over game v Warks for the women

[captaincolly]

Suspect the Abu Dhabi trip will be off given the Orange Man's chaos.

[Durhamfootman]

me too

maybe the Zimbabwe hotels will still be available

[captaincolly]

me too

maybe the Zimbabwe hotels will still be available

Yes!

[Durhamfootman]

the Lions are heading home from Abu Dhabi, so it's getting even harder to see anyone going out there

[Durhamfootman]

Cancelled for the men

the women aren't due out there until the back end of the month, so that's a wait and see job

[Durhamfootman]

13 man squad for the 2 day warm up at Hove. All are expected to play

No Bedders or Roach, who are in the country, but won't feature ahead of the Kent game

Parky is the only spin option in the squad

[Durhamfootman]

we got in 68 overs today at Hove.

I was briefly encouraged by the scoreline of 216-7, but sadly 3 of those 7 wickets were retired out

the bowling figures make interesting reading

BR 12 - 3- 25 - 2
MP 13 - 4 - 22 - 0
Minto 9 - 3 - 11 - 1
Rhodes 5 - 1 - 14 - 1

Connors 14 - 2 - 61 - 0
Aldridge 10 - 1 - 45 - 0
Parky 5 - 0 - 29 - 0

Those numbers feel very 2025 to me

[Durhamfootman]

even the ball having to be replaced after 45 overs felt predictable

[captaincolly]

we got in 68 overs today at Hove.

I was briefly encouraged by the scoreline of 216-7, but sadly 3 of those 7 wickets were retired out

the bowling figures make interesting reading

BR 12 - 3- 25 - 2
MP 13 - 4 - 22 - 0
Minto 9 - 3 - 11 - 1
Rhodes 5 - 1 - 14 - 1

Connors 14 - 2 - 61 - 0
Aldridge 10 - 1 - 45 - 0
Parky 5 - 0 - 29 - 0

Those numbers feel very 2025 to me

Definitely. Deja vu!

[Durhamfootman]

day 2

146-4 (all retired out) in 48 overs

slow going

next up... the Uni starting Saturday

[Durhamfootman]

I popped down this afternoon, before the sleet came. Nice to sit in the sunshine, although coat, cap and gloves were the order of the day. I left just before the tea interval when I saw the size of the black cloud that was heading towards the ground. I just managed to get back to the car before the heavens opened

welcome to the new season

[Durhamfootman]

Bedders looked very comfortable for his 66 before he retired himself out to go and get a cuppa. Rhodes was disciplined for his 63, but rather gave it away tamely, with a chip straight to short midwicket, after all that work. Clarky got into his stride straight away, but Robbo looked very scratchy and seemed to struggle quite a bit against the spinner Campion, although he's still there on 44, I see, so presumably this will do him good..... I wouldn't have him at 5 this year, though

No Lees, No McK, No BR, no Potts. I was a bit surprised to see Bedders there, because I thought he wasn't due to feature until the Kent game. He looked good

[Durhamfootman]

I confess to being a bit surprised that Bedders and particularly Clarky retired themselves out on 66 and 85 respectively. This is a FC match, after all, and both could easily have registered a first FC ton for the '26 season

[Durhamfootman]

Apparently Stokes had planned to play in some of these early season matches, but his cheek injury has delayed that until May