Stokes stars as leaders Durham hammer Derbyshire

Ben Stokes hits 66 not out and takes 5-17 as Durham wrap up a 338-run victory at Derbyshire inside three days in Division Two of the County Championship. Rothesay County Championship, Division Two, The Our Coop County Ground, Derby (day three) An innings of the highest class from Ben Mc Kinney, backed up by former England Test captain Ben Stokes with bat and ball, swept promotion favourites Durham to a crushing 338-run victory over Derbyshire in the County Championship. Mc Kinney showed why he is marked out as a future England Test player with 140 from 162 balls on the third day of the Division Two encounter at Derby. The 21-year-old opener hit 15 fours and six sixes, dominating a second-wicket stand of 157 with Will Rhodes (52), followed by Stokes smashing an unbeaten 66 from 55 balls. England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir took 3-77 before Durham declared on 295-6, setting Derbyshire a notional 423 for victory. The hosts had earlier been bowled out for 156 with England paceman Matthew Potts taking 5-46 and they again collapsed dismally in the face of ruthless quick bowling. Potts claimed 3-22 to become the leading wicket taker in the Championship, while Stokes took three wickets in four balls and finished with 5-17 as promotion hopefuls Derbyshire crumbled to 84 all out to suffer the heaviest margin of defeat by runs in their history.

Durham ran through Derbyshire's lower order in the morning with Potts reaping the reward for full and accurate bowling delivered at pace. Ben Aitchison was lbw playing across the line before Anuj Dal was bowled by a beauty that dipped in late to beat his defensive push. Brydon Carse cleaned up Nick Potts with another quick and full ball and in the next over, Bashir lost his middle stump to one angled in. It was the second time this season Potts has taken five in an innings against Derbyshire after he blew them away with 8-68 to bowl Durham to victory in three days at Chester-le-Street in June. His latest haul put Durham in a strong position which Mc Kinney cemented with an innings of poise and calculated aggression. The loss of skipper Alex Lees to the first ball of the innings proved deceptive as Mc Kinney and Rhodes took the game further away from the hosts. Apart from one wild slog early in his innings, Mc Kinney batted with a classical elegance while Rhodes was content to play the supporting role in a stand which stretched Durham's lead towards 300.

Mc Kinney became more expansive, twice driving Bashir for six, on his way to a second Championship century of the summer which demonstrated why he is on England's radar. By the time he holed out to long off, it was a question of when Durham would declare but there was time for a punishing cameo from Stokes who motored to his second half-century of the game off 38 balls. He reached it by launching a ball from Matthew Montgomery onto the roof of the Media Centre and, once Durham pulled out, Potts tore into Derbyshire for a second time. On this form, Potts will surely remain in the England conversation as he again combined pace and late movement to blow away the top order. After Carse had Caleb Jewell caught at short leg, Potts was irresistible, angling the ball in to trap Harry Came and Wayne Madsen lbw in the space of three balls. Stokes inevitably struck with his first ball, Brooke Guest top-edging a pull, Dal was lbw to the next and although Aitchison survived the hat-trick ball, he then edged a drive to first slip. A Stokes bouncer felled Brett Randell who batted on for 10 minutes but retired following a second concussion check and Stokes then wrapped up a victory that takes Durham a step closer to a Division One return.

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