Loughborough complete the MCC University 'double'

Date released: 23 June 2005

Loughborough UCCE won the MCC Universities Challenge Final at Lord’s yesterday, posting a five wicket victory over Durham UCCE.

Loughborough’s win completed a season of dominance in university cricket, after having already secured the MCC Universities Championship by a comfortable margin.

Having been asked to field on a very hot day at the “home of cricket”, Loughborough began well with penetrating and economic bowling. Ryan Cummins and Steve Clark made early inroads into the Durham line-up, but Durham’s fourth wicket partnership of 79 formed the basis of a recovery, with David Brown and James Morris both striking the ball well. Brown top-scored with 62 before being bowled by Monty Panesar, a left-arm spinner who is on the books at Northamptonshire.

At 170 – 5, Durham looked well placed to set a challenging total, but Panesar’s excellent spell of 4 – 43 off his allotted 10 overs meant that Durham lost momentum in the late middle order. Clark (3 – 15 off 9 overs) returned at the Pavilion End and immediately turned the screw, bowling Morris for 48 in the process. David Balcombe provided entertainment at the death with two lusty blows into the Mound Stand, but Durham’s total of 193 all out, off 47.5 overs, looked a good thirty runs short of par. Cummins picked up the final wicket of Balcombe to finish with figures of 8.5 – 1 – 52 – 2. His lively movement and pace has been rewarded by a summer contract at Leicestershire CCC.

Loughborough’s reply was measured and the openers, Steve Clark and Ed Foster, put on fifty for the first wicket. Durham responded when first and second change bowlers David Brown and Lee Daggett removed both opening batsmen with the score on 56. Skipper Will Gifford and Vikram Atri then dug in to ensure that Loughborough didn’t lose any further wickets and a sixty partnership put them in firm control. Atri and Gifford departed for 35 and 40 respectively, but Durham could not take control of the game. Glen Read (2 – 48) ended Krishana Singh’s innings of 37 with the winning post in sight, and it fell to Christopher Murtagh (21 not out) to round off the victory with some powerful hitting through the covers.

Loughborough’s five wicket victory was completed with exactly five overs to go, and was proof that the class of 2005 were comfortably the strongest team in the country in the year that MCC became the sole sponsor of UCCE cricket.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Tom Graveney, the former England great and current MCC President said: “We are delighted with the development that all six MCC Universities have shown this season. By beating some of the first-class teams, it is clear that the standard is good and there are some professional cricketers in the making. Congratulations must go to Loughborough for their remarkable success this season.”