Di Venuto’s Desert Date

Durham opener Michael Di Venuto has set a leisurely pace in the race for this year’s Walter Lawrence Trophy with a 145-ball hundred against MCC in the traditional pipe-opening fixture to the English season. Not so traditional was the venue, however, as the County Champions took on MCC at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi! The 36-year-old Australian’s century, scored on the first day of the fixture, March 29, included 14 fours and one six, and provided the basis for a 311-run victory by Durham.

Now enjoying its 76th year, the Trophy, awarded for the fastest hundred of the season, is open to all domestic county competitions, including the Clydesdale Bank 40 (40-over format), and Friends Provident T20 (20-over format), as well as One-Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals, all eligible alongside those scored in the County Championship and Test Matches in England.

Last year’s winner of the Trophy, who also collected a cheque for £5,000, was Worcestershire’s Vikram Solanki, who smote a 47-ball hundred against Glamorgan in the T20 match at New Road, Worcester.

Vikram Solanki and Brian Thornton

Vikram Solanki