Durham secure first silverware

Durham 312 for 5 (Chanderpaul 78, Benkenstein 61*, Coetzer 61) beat Hampshire 187 (Crawley 68, Gibson 3-24, Collingwood 3-33) by 125 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Ottis Gibson's early wickets put Durham on course for victory © Getty Images

In their sixteenth year of first-class status, Durham claimed their first domestic trophy as they won the rain-interrupted Friends Provident final by 125 runs at Lord's. The overnight wait didn't disrupt their momentum as Paul Collingwood and Liam Plunkett ran through Hampshire's lower order, the last five wickets falling for 13 runs after rain had delayed the resumption until 12.30 on Sunday.

"It was an unbelievable performance, the first time in a Lord's final, against a very good Hampshire side. Full credit goes to all the players," said Collingwood, who now has to drive to Southampton to captain the England one-day team. "It's been built up over 15 years, there have been a lot of ups and downs at the club. We have some great team spirit and people want to be there and play for Durham."

Plunkett, who improved vastly from his bowling on Saturday, secured the trophy by bowling Shane Warne. The only disappointment was that there was only a smattering of spectators in the ground to witness Durham's historic moment. The slightly extended wait won't dampen the celebration, except perhaps for Paul Collingwood who has to join up with England's one-day squad in Southampton. The hard work was done on Saturday after the batsmen piled up 312, a record for a domestic 50-over final, and Ottis Gibson - who earned the Man-of-the-Match award - stunned Hampshire's top order.

Earlier this season Gibson claimed all 10 wickets in an innings against Hampshire in the Championship and with the first ball of the run chase he had Michael Lumb superbly caught by Michael Di Venuto at second slip. Sean Ervine, who starred with a century in Hampshire's 2005 C&G success, fell in nearly identical fashion next ball. However, Ervine stood his ground before the decision was confirmed by the third umpire. There was no doubt that the ball carried.

This match was the last in which the referral system was in operation. Phil Mustard, the Durham wicketkeeper, forgot it was available when he was given out lbw to James Bruce, only realising two thirds of the way to the pavilion that he had the option. The rules said the referral had to be made immediately and Mustard had missed his chance.

In the field, though, Durham used the system when Kevin Pietersen hit a drive back towards Gibson, who was convinced he'd got a finger on the ball as it crashed into the non-striker's stumps with John Crawley well out of his ground. Benkenstein asked for it to be referred but, as was often the case, pictures were inconclusive and Crawley survived.

Any hopes Hampshire had of that changing their fortune quickly vanished when Pietersen was trapped plumb in front by a ball from Gibson that didn't bounce, leaving the chase in tatters at 17 for 3. Crawley tried his best to hold the innings together with 68, but when he was removed by Collingwood, Durham had the trophy.

Hampshire were disappointing. Apart from Daren Powell - who registered 92mph on the speed gun - the six-man attack struggled for consistency, with even below his best. Before Mustard was sent on his way, he had laid an aggressive platform, showing the strokeplay that has got people taking about another candidate for England's wicketkeeper spot. Chanderpaul and Coetzer - a West Indian and a Scotsman - added 111 in 119 balls to put Durham on course for 300-plus.

Chanderpaul reprised the form that brought him 446 runs in the Test series and 202 in the three ODIs against England. He took on all the bowlers, getting the ball rolling against Bruce before stepping across to Chris Tremlett and clipping a full delivery effortlessly over square leg for six. Similar punishment followed for Ervine as Chanderpaul swept him into the stands and West Indies team-mate Powell was taken for three fours in an over.

Coetzer, who had come into a rich vein of form recently, ensured Durham built on a positive opening stand. He had opted for county over country - he could have been playing for Scotland in the recent match against India - and a new contract won't be far away after his well-paced 61. His front-foot driving was especially impressive and when he pulled Ervine into the Grandstand the innings was about to find another gear, but two balls later a loose drive was plucked out by Warne at extra cover.

Chanderpaul had a century in his sights before begin sent back by Collingwood while looking for a second run. However, with such a strong platform Durham could afford to cut loose. Collingwood struggled for his timing but Benkenstein middled everything from the start of his 43-ball 61 and sent the final three balls of the innings for 6,4,4 as 34 came off the last two overs. The end of their innings and the start of Hampshire's sealed the result and although they were held up by the English summer, nothing could deny Durham. It may be their first trophy; it won't be their last.