Leicestershire 2nd XI won by 46 runs

DURHAM have lost more games in more competitions than any other county, and their second team followed in the final of the Bain Hogg Trophy at Leicester yesterday.

Leicestershire secured a third win in their fourth consecutive final easily enough by 46 runs, but Durham could look back with satisfaction on their season in the Warwickshire-dominated 2nd XI championship. They were lying third yesterday; and they had to battle through nine matches to reach the knockout final.

In contrast, Durham's first team are shortly to finish bottom of championship and Sunday League, and in mainstream one-day cricket they have beaten only Minor Counties, Scotland and Essex, a truly shocking record.

Yesterday, Leicestershire were predictably the stronger, Iain Sutcliffe winning the man-of-the-match award for his 61 off 74 balls. The left-hander looked a quality performer, though he has by-passed a second-team apprenticeship, owing to his studies and first-class experience at Oxford University.

Quentin Hughes, the Cambridge University-bound Durham batsman, caught the eye at the crease, mainly because of a collision with Sutcliffe, which forced Hughes to retire temporarily with a nose injury.

Major signings help to win trophies at senior level, but the home-grown nucleus must be competent, and the structure is in place to achieve that - even for Durham, who have several players of promise on their books to support David Boon when the Australian arrives next summer.

Darren Blenkiron, whose uneven form for Durham at first-team level had been one of the summer's mysteries, enjoyed success with bat and ball at Leicester, scoring 32 and taking four for 40, and Robin Weston, still seeking a contract, scored 78 too slowly to affect the result.