Big score, big disappointment.

Durham had to come to terms with the disappointment of missing out on their first Lord's final, as well as an inability to defend a big total against Derbyshire.

Lancashire's success at Warwickshire in the final round of C&G Group games meant Durham's result at Derby was in the end academic.

It was nonetheless a chastening experience for them as Chris Taylor's second hundred of this year's competition helped the hosts bring off a surprising run chase.

Taylor finished with a career-best 111 not out, helping his team better Durham's 274-6 with eight balls and five wickets to spare. Updates on Lancashire's progress were available via live television courage in the pavilion.

But Durham coach Martyn Moxon largely resisted the temptation to watch ( and he did not relay the information to his players.

Durham felt they had enough runs on the board, thanks mainly to opener Jimmy Maher's 125 after they had been put in on a humid morning.

"We would have bowled. It certainly swung and seamed a bit but we were happy with the score we got," said Moxon.

"I thought we bowled and fielded as well as we could ( but I thought we would have had the resources to defend that."

The reason they did not was Taylor, whose 103-ball effort was a perfect example of how to pace a match-winning one-day innings.

He dominated an unbroken stand of 126 in 16 overs with Ant Botha.

It marked a return to form for Yorkshireman Taylor, following a relatively lean spell ( and a shoulder injury.

Maher, meanwhile, was unfortunate to finish on the losing side having underpinned Durham's innings with his 14th limited-overs 100.

He was assisted most significantly by his captain Benkenstein in a stand of 117 which accounted principally for a handsome 97 off the last 10 overs.

Earlier, Maher and his opening partner Jon Lewis needed to be watchful against the swing of Kevin Dean after being put in on a humid morning, and Durham were rewarded with a solid if unspectacular 50 after a potentially tricky first 15 overs.

Dean (3-39) could easily have met with more early success than the wicket of Lewis, who gave a catch to slip driving at one of the left-armer's few slightly wider deliveries.

Maher was joined by Gary Scott in a handy second-wicket partnership of 81 in 18 overs until the number three was caught behind, cutting a slow left-armer to Botha. Gary Pratt was caught at cover off a Graham Wagg slower ball, but Benkenstein was to prove the outstanding ally of Maher.

Both eventually went in pursuit of more big shots, Maher holing out at long off to become the first of two wickets to fall to the final two balls of the deserving Dean's allocation.

It seemed likely Durham had enough runs, albeit on a good pitch ( but that was reckoning without Taylor.