ScorecardDurham made the most of what play was available on a rain-truncated second day at Chester-le-Street. They killed off Surrey’s tail early in the morning to remove them for 183 and then their openers eased them to a lead of 122 by the time stumps were drawn early.Matt Nicholson was the overnight threat, but he added 8 to his 24 before becoming the first victim of the second day, Liam Plunkett’s second wicket, caught by Shiv Chanderpaul. Plunkett then removed Jimmy Ormond on the same score – 176 – before Harbhajan Singh fell for 6, leaving Ottis Gibson with 4 for 50.Gibson stepped up to fill the gap left by Steve Harmison who left the field with a stiff back after bowling two overs. Harmison was playing his second match after recovering from a hernia operation which ruled him out of the Test series against India. His fitness will be a worry because Durham are set to appear in their first ever final at Lord’s on Saturday when they take on Hampshire in the Friends Provident Trophy final.Mark Stoneman (26*) and Michael Di Venuto (44*) batted for 17 overs of Durham’s second innings, during which time they put on a confident 73 to solidify Durham’s position. Mark Butcher used five bowlers, but none of them were able to find the breakthrough.All of the matches which were supposed to be starting today were rained off, which was particularly frustrating title-chasers for Yorkshire – who are playing bottom-placed Worcestershire in the first division – and leaders Somerset in the second.

Shane Watson will miss the upcoming ODI series against India after suffering a sore hamstring during the win against Sri Lanka on Thursday in the ICC World Twenty20. It was Watson’s first game in the tournament after he sat out the initial matches with a hamstring problem.”Shane Watson experienced some left hamstring soreness during yesterday’s game,” Alex Kountouris, the team physio said. “This is similar to the pain he had prior to this tour. Although this is a low-grade muscular strain the decision has been made for Shane to return to Australia and prepare himself for the upcoming Australian season.”No decision had been taken regarding a replacement for Watson. Australia are scheduled to depart from South Africa for India on September 25 to play a seven-match ODI series and one Twenty20 game. The first match will be played on September 29 in Bangalore.

Ryan Butterworth, now playing for Mashonaland, was one of the leading students at the CFX Academy for 2001 and the only one to score a century in the Logan Cup that season. Although he was never selected for one of the national age-group teams at cricket, his performances for Old Hararians in the national first league club championship probably won him a place at the Academy.His club plays him as an opening batsman, as did the Academy for a while, although he would prefer to bat at number four if given the choice. He sees himself as an all-rounder, though, bowling medium-paced seamers ("I just try and move the ball around as much as I can") and also keeping wicket at times.Ryan comes from a sporting family, although cricket was not the most prominent. His father played at school, but not as an adult, but has always given Ryan the utmost encouragement. When he was very young, Ryan used to play cricket along with other sports in the family garden at home, along with his twin brother Brendan, who is less inclined towards sport and gave up cricket after junior school. He attended Gateway Primary School in Harare and his natural sporting ability came to the fore, as he was a leading member of the school cricket team throughout his years there, usually as captain. His best performance there was 96 not out against Eaglesvale School while in the colts team, and against the same opposition he took eight wickets in an innings in another match. He was selected to captain the Harare Schools B team in the national primary schools week of 1993.He progressed to Prince Edward High School, and with his natural leadership qualities continued to captain teams throughout his career. At that stage cricket was not his primary sport as he was more inclined towards swimming and triathlon, but the personal interest of headmaster Clive Barnes did much to encourage him. "He used to come around and watch when I was captain of the A side; he came and spoke to me a bit and taught me a bit," says Ryan. "Then I went on to the first team, with George Lee-Bell as coach."Ryan was in the first team for four years, his best performance being 133 against Peterhouse during 2000, his only century for the school, although he scored several fifties and took a couple of five-wicket hauls. During the first couple of years in the team he kept wicket, and then, after the departure of a strong bowling side led by David Mutendera, he found himself taking the new ball. He attended Mashonaland and national trials at Under-15 and Under-19 levels without gaining final selection. He particularly enjoyed his matches against St George’s College and Peterhouse, as he had some friends there and they responded to the challenge of playing each other.He joined Old Hararians Sports Club, the Old Boys club of Prince Edward School, and for the last three seasons has opened the batting for them. National umpire Russell Tiffin, an Old Hararians man, came round to the school to speak to the team, as a result of which Ryan joined up. He pays tribute to the great support and help he has received from club captain Trevor Penney. He scored about six centuries for the Old Hararians second team, but has yet to break that barrier in the first league.Ryan played a season of winter league cricket for Mvurwi, for whom he scored several fifties. He also came under the influence of former national batsman Andy Waller when he took an `O-level’ break, working on his farm in that area to gain come farming experience, as he was thinking at that time of taking up a career in farming.Ryan’s most celebrated innings before his century for the Academy was his 33 in the final of the national club first league knockout competition, for Old Hararians of Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo in 2000/01. Conditions were damp and difficult, and Ryan’s determination, top score for his side, did much to give his team a competitive total and bring about an eventual victory."I opened with Conan Brewer, and Pommie Mbangwa and John Rennie opened the bowling," he said. "The ball was seaming around like I’d never seen it before on the Sports Club Test wicket. It was very hard early on. The rain came and we had a break; we went back on and it was still seaming. As the ball got a bit older it started swinging, and John Rennie was swinging it plenty. I played a stupid shot to get out, two balls before drinks. My game plan was just to see out Pommie and John Rennie, and when the new bowlers came on to attack them. It worked to an extent."Playing for the Academy, often as wicket-keeper, he struggled in the early matches but then took full advantage of a good pitch at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo to hit an aggressive century in the final Logan Cup match of the season. Later in the year he played against the touring Indian and West Indian teams. "Opening the batting against the West Indies and Bangladesh in the one-day games was great," he said. "Pity I never scored any runs!"About his year at the Academy, Ryan says, "I’ve learned to concentrate more. Patience is a virtue and you need to work hard at it to get where you want to go."He successfully applied to stay in Mashonaland after his year at the Academy was over. "It’s quite a challenge in Mashonaland and that’s what I like," he said. "I had a good club season after the Academy, averaging about 46. I got 97 not out and 86 not out, and four or five fifties. In Logan Cup it’s been thirties and forties every innings!"He plans to spend the 2002 season playing for Wolverton at Milton Keynes in England before returning to Mashonaland to fulfill the third year of his contract with ZCU.Ryan is an aggressive batsman, his favourite strokes being the cover drive and the pull and hook. He feels he is better suited to the middle order in the longer version of the game but is happy to open in one-day cricket. He admits to the tendency of losing his concentration once he gets to the twenties or thirties, and the need to carry on to a big score. He is an excellent all-round fielder and enjoys that area of the game.He is most grateful to coaches Dave Houghton and Gwynne Jones for their work at the Academy. "I think it’s going to do very well for Zimbabwe cricket, with all the youngsters coming through."Cricket heroes: "Daryl Cullinan is one of them, definitely, and Viv Richards. And now Trevor Penney, who has also been a great help to me."Toughest opponents: "I think among bowlers it’s got to be Campbell Macmillan. Every time I face him he gets me with a ball that does the wrong thing! Reon King is definitely the fastest I’ve ever faced – and Travis Friend – but I’ve faced Campbell more often and he’s troubled me a lot."Immediate ambitions: "At the moment it’s the Zimbabwe A side next year, and hopefully from there I’ll go bigger."Proudest achievement so far: "My 133 against Peterhouse for Prince Edward."Best friends in cricket: "Conan Brewer – I’ve been with him for the last three years opening for the PE first team. I hope he’s coming to join the Academy next year; he’s one more year of school. I’ve made many friends in cricket and I really enjoy all the guys at the Academy."Other sports: "Rugby for Prince Edward first team; in triathlon I represented Zimbabwe; tennis and swimming. I still play social tennis and I’ve just stopped rugby because of the Academy. I have no time for triathlon any more."Outside interests: "Nothing – just cricket!"Dave Houghton says: "Ryan is quite a good strokeplayer and a good fielder as well. He tends to get out a lot in the thirties and forties. He played quite a crucial role with his innings of 33 to help Old Hararians win the national league last Sunday – but again got out in the thirties, so we have some work to do encouraging him to compile big scores rather than just getting good starts."

Scorecard

Matthew Wade justified Victoria’s decision to make him their No. 1 wicketkeeper with 83 and four catches on debut as the Bushrangers took control against South Australia. Despite all their off-season batting work the Redbacks showed little improvement from their woeful 2006-07, ending the day at 8 for 162 and trailing by 276.Gerard Denton and Dirk Nannes claimed three wickets each as several Redbacks made starts and failed to go on. Matthew Elliott fared best with 42 but the Borgas brothers’ first Pura Cup match together will be one to forget – Jason edged Denton behind for 1 and Cameron went in the same manner for 0.Mark Cosgrove managed six fours in his 34 before nudging to short leg off Bryce McGain right before tea. A further five wickets fell in the final session and at the close the home side was 127 short of avoiding the follow on, with Cullen Bailey on 18 and Jason Gillespie on 2.South Australia were also disappointing with the ball as they let Victoria’s last two pairs add 118, with Wade the major contributor. He was chosen ahead of Adam Crosthwaite because of his batting skill and although he survived a couple of dropped catches he showed serious potential, striking nine fours and two sixes. Nannes, who made 31 not out, and Peter Siddle (17) were Wade’s tail-end helpers.

Sri Lanka A 245 for 8 (Udawatte 92) v Zimbabwe Select
ScorecardZimbabwe Select put up a spirited fight after lunch to check Sri Lanka A’s progress on the first day of their four-day match at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. The hosts bowled superbly in the afternoon to restrict Sri Lanka to 245 for 8 at the close.Sri Lanka looked on course for a huge score when openers Mahela Udawatte and Tharanga Paranavitana took them to 78 for 0 at lunch. They extended the opening stand to 98 before Paranavitana edged Prosper Utseya to the keeper. Udawatte was dropped twice, first on 19 and then on 89, and punished the errors before he offered Timycen Maruma a return catch.Maruma was the outstanding bowler, finishing with 3 for 48. He was not initially supposed to play but was drafted in as a late replacement for Sean Williams who withdraw with a severe headache a few minutes before the start.Utseya and Chamu Chibhabha chipped in with two wickets apiece while Christopher Mpofu picked up one.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details