Bridge delivers Gloucestershire knock-out blow

The defending champions Gloucestershire were knocked out of the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy yesterday after a sensational collapse against a weakened Durham side led to a three-run defeat.

It was Gloucestershire's first defeat in one-day knockout cricket for 20 matches, spanning three years. Such has been their dominance of the English one-day scene that their previous cup defeat was in 1998 against Surrey, their opponents in Saturday's Benson and Hedges Cup final.

Durham, whose attack was bereft of Simon Brown, Neil Killeen, Nicky Hatch and Nicky Phillips, gained revenge for their last-eight Benson and Hedges Cup exit at the same ground earlier this summer to secure a quarter-final place.

Captain Jon Lewis, with a competition-best 65 not out, guided Durham to a challenging total of 232 after Mark Alleyne had won the toss on a blustery, overcast morning.

Durham's hero was Graeme Bridge, a 20-year-old left-arm spinner whose only previous appearance in the competition was for the county's board XI. Bridge claimed 3 for 44 to capture the man-of-the-match award as the hosts slumped from 179 for 3 with more than 10 overs remaining and just 54 runs needed.

Such was the decline that Gloucestershire required 22 with just two wickets intact when Bridge delivered the final over. Martyn Ball struck him for six off the first ball as the visitors whittled another 12 runs off their target. Needing four runs to win off the final delivery of the contest, Ball could only dig out a full-pitched delivery for a single.

Herefordshire's hopes ended when they suffered a comprehensive seven-wicket defeat against their neighbours Worcestershire at New Road.

The minor county put out Middlesex in the third round but there was to be no repeat of their triumph as Worcestershire reached their victory target of 211 with more than 12 overs to spare. Ravi Nagra chalked up half of his side's total, but was offered little support by his team-mates. The opener Nathan Round (41) was the pick of the visitors' other batsmen but, when Nagra was seventh man out at 199, the chance of a defendable total went with him.

Although Herefordshire got an early breakthrough when Phillip Weston was run out for five, Anurag Singh and captain Graeme Hick had managed 90 before Singh was bowled by the former Nottinghamshire man Kevin Cooper for 42. Vikram Solanki made a rapid 41 from 33 balls before Aamir Farooque had him caught by captain Christopher Boroughs, but the result was never in doubt. David Leatherdale (14 not out) and Hick (101 not out) steered the home side to victory.

Warwickshire progressed to the quarter-finals at the expense of Essex thanks to an impressive all-round contribution from Neil Carter at Edgbaston. The 26-year-old left-arm seamer was a late inclusion in the home side for his one-day debut. He responded by winning the man-of-the-match award as he took 4 for 21, which included three of the first four wickets, and then struck 40 from just 43 balls to launch the Bears' successful pursuit of the winning target of 161.

CHELTENHAM AND GLOUCESTER TROPHY QUARTER-FINALS

Yorkshire or Surrey v Warwickshire

Lancashire or Sussex v Durham

Kent v Somerset

Worcestershire v Nottinghamshire or Leicestershire

(Matches to be played 24-25 July)